Let noble thoughts come to us from every side First & Foremost Asian Weekly in Europe 22nd December to 28th December 2012

BJP gets a prime ministerial face for 2014 Lok Sabha elections

Bokhiria of BJP by 17,146
votes, while Leader of
Opposition
Shaktisinh
Gohil was defeated by minister of state for fisheries
Purushottam Solanki of the
saffron party by 18,554
votes in Bhavnagar rural
constituency. Both were
strong contenders for chief
ministership in the event of
Congress coming to power.
Modi confidante and
minister Anandiben Patel
has won Ghatlodia seat
while Modi's right hand
man Amit Shah, an
accused
in
the
Soharabuddin Sheikh fake
encounter case, won the
Naranpura constituency
comfortably.
However,
ministers in the Modi government-- Dilip Sanghani
(Amreli), Jaynarayan Vyas
(Siddhpur) and Fakir
Vaghela (Vadgam) were

+ #! * *' , "%

"%"*.

The prospects of chief minister Narendra Modi’s
prime ministerial aspirations have brightened on
Thursday with the BJP
returning to power in
Gujarat by securing 115
seats in the 182-member
assembly. Congress had no
option but to sit back and
watch as Modi romped
home to an easy victory in
Maninagar in an unequal
fight against Congress candidate and surrendered
IPS officer Sanjeev Bhatt's
wife Shweta Bhatt by nearly 90,000 votes. At the
same time, Modi led his
party to a record-breaking
third win in the state with
115 seats - one seat less
than what it had won in
2007. Shankersinh Vaghela
led Congress got 61 seats.
Gujarat recorded its highest voter turnout of 71.3
per cent in the two-round
elections to pick a new
182-seat assembly.
Former BJP chief minister
Keshubhai
Patel's
Gujarat Parivartan Party
(GPP), which had been set
up with the sole intention
of opposing Modi, managed
to win only two seats while
Nationalist Congress Party
(NCP) got two seats,
Janata Dal United ( JDU)
won one seat and independent got one.
Interestingly, Modi's
victory has not only given
the saffron party something to cheer about, but
has also given it a prime
ministerial candidate for
the 2014 general elections.
Congress suffered a
major blow when its state
unit
chief
Arjun
Modhwadia
lost
the
Porbandar seat to Babu

(!&

.) -!!$

defeated. Out of three
Congress MPs who contested the election two
won and one lost. Vitthal
Radadia,
MP
from
Porbandar,
who
was
recently in news for brandishing a gun at a toll plaza
after the attendant sought
to see his identity card,
and Somabhai Koli Patel
(MP) won while Kuverji
Bavaila (MP) lost the seat.
Shankersinh Vaghela,
who spearhead in the poll
campaign for Congress and
former state chief minister,
managed to win Kapadvanj
seat defeating Kanubhai
Dabhi of BJP by a margin
of 6597 votes. Keshubhai
Patel scored a facile victory
in Visavadar in Saurashtra
defeating BJP’s Kanubhai
Bhalala by over 42,000
votes. Though BJP registered an emphatic victory,

five of its ministers fell by
the wayside.
Modi seeks Keshubhai
Patel’s blessings: Chief

Minister Narendra Modi
on Thursday called on
Keshubhai
Patel
and
sought his blessings after

BJP’s victory in the assembly elections. Modi drove
to the residence of Patel,
who fell out with the BJP
stalwart and floated his
own party ahead of the
election, in Gandhinagar
to meet him. “Modiji had
come to seek blessings
after his win in the elections. I congratulated him
for the win,” Patel said
after Modi’s visit.
My six crore Gujaratis are
the real heroes: Modi
Modi in his victory
speech said, “We have set
an example in the country.
Respect all those who have
decided to give the country
a new direction. These polls
show a new trend of the
people's faith and my confidence in myself are the two
pillars that helped me win
and which will help me to
lead the state in the coming
5 years that will bring a
change
in
Gujarat.
Continued on page 26

Indian woman's death prompts
abortion law repeal
Savita Halappanavar

Keval Dhokia
It has taken the
“untimely and tragic
death” of a female
Indian dentist in an
Irish hospital,
Continued on page 11

2

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 22nd December 2012

one to one
Keith Vaz MP with

Dr Chizo Agwu

MBBS, MRCP, MSc, PCME, FRCPCH.

Dr Agwu graduated in 1986 from the University
of Nigeria Teaching hospital in Enugu. She began
her Post Graduate Training in 1990 and worked
in hospitals in the Manchester area, London and
Birmingham. She became a consultant
Paediatrician in 1998 at Sandwell and West
Birmingham NHS Trust and is currently the
Clinical Director. Her specialist interest is the care
of children with Diabetes and Endocrine problems. She is married with two grown up children.
1) Please tell us about
your current position?
I am a Consultant
Paediatrician specialising in the care of children with Diabetes. I am
the National Chairman
of
the
ACDC
(Association
of
Children’s
Diabetes
Clinicians). I am also the
Clinical Director of
Paediatric Directorate at
Sandwell
and
West
Birmingham NHS Trust
as well as being an
Honorary Snr Clinical
Lecturer at University of
Birmingham. I am a

member
of
the
Examinations board of
the Royal College of
Paediatrics and Child
Health.
I
am
an
Examiner
for
the
M R C P C H
Examinations.
2) What are the warning
symptoms of type-1 diabetes?
You should suspect Type
1 diabetes if a child
develops excessive thirst,
excessive
urination,
weight loss. The child
may become lethargic,
tired.
The
child’s
appetite may increase

although in some cases
they may loose their
appetite.

3) How do you see treatment for type-1 diabetes
evolving in the future?
I think more children will

use the artificial pancreas. An artificial pancreas needs an insulin
pump and continuous
blood glucose monitoring system (CGMS). The
insulin pump is a device
that delivers insulin
whilst a CGMS is device
that can measure blood
glucose
minute
by
minute. Researchers are
working on a computer
programme that will feed
the information from the
CGMS to the insulin
pump so that it delivers
the correct amount of
insulin automatically.

dren and their families. I
also enjoy my management roles as I am in a
position to help improve
the quality of care we
deliver. I enjoy the fact
that I can combine both.

4) What has been the
biggest obstacle in your
career?
I have been lucky in my
career and have not had
many obstacles. I thoroughly enjoy what I do

9) If you were Prime
Minister, what one thing
would you change?
I would adopt a policy
that would ensure long
term financial stability
for the NHS.

5) Who has been the
biggest influence on
your career to date?
Professor
Charles
Brooks. I worked as his
Registrar
at
the
M i d d l e s e x
hospital/University college hospital London. I
admired the breadth of
knowledge he had. I
developed my love for
Diabetes
and
Endocrinology from him.

10)
If
you
were
marooned on a desert
island, which historical
figure would you like to
spend your time with
and why?
Mother
Theresa.
I
admire her generosity of
spirit. I think it is important that those of us who
are lucky in life always
give back. I would be
interested in knowing
what motivated her to
devote her entire life to
charity and what kept
her going.

6) What is the best thing
about your current role?
I love working with chil-

7) And the worst?
Lack of time……..I wish
I had 48 hour days to fit
in everything in!
8) What are your long
term goals?
I hope to develop further
in my management role
and in the future take on
further national roles

The Asian Voice Political and Public Life Awards 2013
It is that time of year again…The Asian Voice Public and Political Life
Awards nominations. The awards celebrate the achievements of those who
have made a special contribution to our political or public life over the last
12 months in a variety of fields.
The Asian Voice Political
and Public Life Awards
represent Asian Voice’s
modest effort to honour a
number of outstanding
individuals from different
communities, walks of life
and diverse political persuasions who serve society in their own special
way, and who contribute
significantly, in whatever
they do, towards making a

better world today and for
the future.
It is the sixth year the
awards have been presented and as in previous
years, the event will be
attended by 250 high profile politicians from all
political parties, successful people from the world
of business and community leaders.
The
awards
for

achievements in 2012 will
be handed out at a prestigious ceremony in the
Members Dining Room of
the House of Commons on
7th February 2013.
This year, as every
year, we are seeking your
nominations
for
the
awards. Please send your
nominations for Political
and Public Life Awards to:
ppla2013@hotmail.com

2012 Winners
Cabinet Minister of the Year
Shadow Cabinet Minister of the Year
Liberal Democrat Minister of the Year
Junior Minister of the Year
Labour Backbencher of the Year
Conservative Backbencher of the Year
Parliamentary Journalist of the Year
Diversity in the Public Services Award
Journalist of the Year
TV Personality of the Year
Business Demonstrating Sustained
Growth of the Year
Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Parliamentary Service Award
Broadcaster of the Year
Lifetime Achievement in Health
Business Person of the Year
Restaurant of the Year
Asian Broadcaster of the Year
School of the Year
Business in the Community
Local Government Award

2011 Winners
Parliamentarian of the Year
Conservative Minister of the Year
Junior Minister of the Year
Special Award for Achievement in Film
Conservative Backbencher of the Year
Liberal Democrat Backbencher of the Year
Labour Backbencher of the Year
Journalist of the Year
Business in the Community Award
Lifetime Achievement Award
Local Government Award
Charity of the Year
Businessperson of the Year
Contribution to Sport in the UK
Columnist of the Year
TV Personality of the Year
Restaurant of the Year
Asian Broadcaster of the Year
Face of the Future Award
International Entrepreneur of the Year
Community Award
Professional of the Year
Creative and Entertainment Co of the Year

A titan departs
The House of Tata has long been the jewel in
India’s crown. As the country’s foremost business
group, Tata straddles every part of the Indian economy. Over the past two decades, India’s liberalized
economy has presented new opportunities to
Indian companies to stretch their wings abroad,
even as foreign investment was welcomed in India.
In a globalized world this surely was the right
thing to do and Tata did so with conspicuous success. Today, its international earnings exceed its
domestic profits.
Corus Steel, Jaguar and Land Rover are now
internationally established Tata brands, as is Tata
Consultancy Services in software. The transformation from national to multinational is a tribute to
the vision and enterprise of the current head of the
firm, Ratan Tata, who took over reins in 1991 and
led from the front. His has been a truly towering
achievement, one without peer in the modern
annals of India’s business.
Let us not also forget the immense Tata contribution to Indian education, medicine and science,
a tradition begun by the founder of the company
Jamsetji Tata, and continued without let or hindrance by his successors. The House of Tata which
has combined business with ethics and excellence,
a model for others.
But all good things must end. Ratan Tata had

decided that December 2012 would be the best
time to retire and hand over charge to a younger
man with business acumen and experience, buttressed by a science education. He was closely
involved in the selection process which oversaw
the appoint of Cyrus Mistry as the head of Tata
Sons, the group’s holding company.
Ratan Tata has created a strong and secure platform for the Tatas to move forward and meet the
myriad challenges - some predictable, others as yet
unknown - of the 21st century. His act will be hard
act to follow. Much the same was said of his predecessor, the legendary J.R.D. Tata. Ratan Tata,
proved to be his own man, did things his own way
and came out tops. And so it goes. The mantle of
authority passes from one generation to the next,
each leaving its special stamp on the Tata name.
Build on all that is best in the Tata legacy, do what
needs to be done, and bring the past and future
into the present. The House of Tata has just done
that, as Ratan Tata’s remarkable career has shown
only too well.
A prosperous India means a buoyant Tata. They
have marched in step for the past century and a
half and are destined hopefully to do so for the
next hundred and a half. One should not tempt
Fate and ask ffor more. It has been a fabulous journey.

Fellowship helps transform Rajasthan backwater
A recent scene in a Rajasthan village in the district of Bharatpur was one of hope. The village in
question, Bajhera, was where 18 foreign volunteers arrived to help in a housing project for the
very poor, those, that is, who had fallen well
below the poverty line.
It began with Habitat for Humanity India,
which had sanctioned loans on easy terms for
building brick houses for families living in mud
hutments. Habitat chose Lupin Human Welfare
and Research Foundation, a philanthropic organization with long experience of the area, as its
partner in project implementation.
The Lupin Foundation chose two beneficiaries, Vijay Singh and Taj Prakash. The foreign volunteers comprised professionals from the US,
Britain and Japan. They included teachers, doctors, nurses, accountants, engineers and students.
The villagers were impressed by their enthusiasm and capacity to tough it out in a forbidding
environment. They helped carry the bricks and
mortar to the construction site; they worked with
masons and labourers alike. Cariola, a retired
nurse from the US, said: “My desire to bring
about a change in the life of the poor man has
been fulfilled after coming to India.”
For physician Leinen Crock, on her second
visit to India, it was a blessing to be able to serve

the poor. Retired engineer Barack Renchie was in
Kerala during the tsunami a few years back helping resettle victims of the disaster. But it was a
rare experience this time to help build houses for
people without a roof over their heads.
Overall, financial assistance has been made
available for the construction of 80 low-cost
houses and repairs to some 200 dwellings in the
district, said Lupen Foundation Executive
Director Sita Ram Gupta. Twenty houses had
been built and more than 100 repaired,
With the two houses in Bajhera village almost
built, the volunteers returned to base in the state
capital, Jaipur. Mission accomplished, their
heads were not turned; and modest though their
achievement had been, as they themselves recognized, their first small steps had opened the way
to larger footprints, the totality to come, conceivably, a great leap forward.
The host community were much taken by the
foreigners’ respect for the dignity of labour, also
by their willingness to toil and sweat in harsh and
uncompromising conditions, by their ability to
transform sympathy into action. The volunteers
were touched to the core by the appreciation of
their hosts. Both sides were uplifted by mutual
fellowship. The fusion of ends and means had
brought them together an endeavour that struck
all the right chords.

Lost memory of forgotten hero needs to be restored
Alan Turing, a mathematical genius, died by his
own hand in 1954, aged 41. He had been convicted of homosexuality in 1952 then considered a
criminal offence. Recruited from Cambridge
University to work at top secret Bletchley Park on
the German Enigma code during the Second
World War, his contribution to its success was
widely believed to have shortened its duration.
Turing has passed into public obscurity - his
mathematics known only to a chosen few; all that
remains of his memory is the blue plaque on the
wall of the London family home in Maida Vale,
where he lived as a child and grew up as a boy.
Now, Cambridge astrophysicist Stephen
Hawking, and a number of distinguished British
scientists including Lord Rees of Ludlow,
Astronomer Royal, Sir Paul Nurse, President of
the Royal Society and Baroness Trumpington, who
worked for Turing at Bletchley Park, have posted a
joint letter to The Daily Telegraph asking that he
be posthumously pardoned. Describing Turing as
“one of the most brilliant mathematicians of the
modern era,” the signatories recalled his services
to the nation in its darkest hours.
“Yet successive governments seem incapable of
forgiving his conviction for the then crime of being
a homosexual, which led to his suicide.” They
urged Prime Minister David Cameron to exercise
his authority and formally forgive “this British

hero.”
It may be recalled that in 2009, the then
Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown, issued an
apology, describing the way Turing was treated as
“appalling”. But the official pardon proved elusive. Earlier this year, an appeal for pardon was
turned down by Justice Minister Lord McNulty,
who admitting the case was “shocking” decided a
pardon was “not considered appropriate as Alan
Turin was properly convicted of what at the time
was a criminal offence.”
Is the letter of the law so deeply cast in stone
that it cannot be reversed even if it is contrary to
the principles of natural justice? Must one
indulge in legal casuistry to save officialdom’s
face?
Christmas is a time of good cheer, of goodwill
towards all men, even to those who memories
have been besmirched. It is in the Christmas spirit that Mr Cameron should initiate due process
and a pardon for a wronged man who did his state
great service.
The reputation and moral authority of politicians and the political class in Europe and Britain
alike are at their lowest ebb. Banking fraud, questions for money in Parliament and much else have
lowered their public prestige. Popular discontent
grows by the day. Over and above this, the law
should not be turned into an ass.

www.abplgroup.com

Thought for the Week

Experience is not what happens to
a man; it is what a man does with
what happens to him
- Aldous Huxley (1894-1963)

“Our London”
Navin Shah

GLA Member for Brent and Harrow

Ed Miliband’s strategy
for stronger integartion
The Hall of the National
Association of Patidar
Samaj in Tooting became
a centre of national focus
last week when the
Labour
leader
Ed
Miliband unveiled his
strategy for strengthening
social integration in
Britain. The launch which
I attended was of a very
significant nature for two
reasons. Firstly very subject of integration and the
second being Labour’s
ability to learn lessons and
go forward under the leadership of Ed Miliband.
Until I arrived and
heard Ed speak and
answer questions I wasn’t
too sure about the ‘message’. What didn’t help
was the media reports
prior to the announcement that the speech was
all about immigrants’ ability to ‘converse’ in
English. Thankfully, the
speech and the ensuing
dialogue with a very large
presence of youth from
diverse backgrounds and
origins was a much, much
more and of very powerful
importance for the future
of Britain.
The theme of the new
strategy was far from simply proficiency in the
English language. Ed
Miliband’s vision was
about celebrating the success of diversity and laying a strong foundation
for more vibrant community. Ed Miliband talked
about experience of his
parents, who arrived in
Britain as Jewish refugees
from the Holocaust. He
wants to see Britain build
a home of "richness, variety
and
diversity".
Referring to Team GB's
success in the Olympics,
Ed highlighted this cultural richness and said "We
should celebrate multiethnic, diverse Britain. We
are stronger for it – and I
love Britain for it.”
Right from the beginning he made clear his
strong opposition to
assimilation and his total
belief in one ‘one nation’
but people with multiple
identities. To me this is
very important because a
lot of time when people
talk about integration
they often suggest or

expect assimilation and
that is wholly wrong and
unacceptable. I’ve always
believed that people
should maintain their cultural, social and religious
values and identity but
keep an open mind and
heart by embracing good
and great values that
every culture and religion
brings with it. The central
message of Ed Miliband’s
strategy was that of the
‘Nation Building’ and
building a true bond
between all communities.
It is in this context that he
talked about priority for
proficiency in conversing
in English language to
help create a better bond,
to have integrated &
thriving economy, improving the quality of health
care sector and so on. Ed’s
message on immigration
was very honest and
refreshing when he made
a special emphasis on
“Immigration” as a vital
issue that needs fair and
honest airing. From his
own family’s personal
example Ed talked about
the contribution made by
immigrant communities
for whom Britain has been
a natural and safe home.
But at the same time it is
important that anxieties
about immigration are not
swept under the carpet he’s promised Labour
would promote a mature
and full debate on immigration. The launch of this
important strategy paves
way in the right direction
to strengthen diversity
and take on board difficult
and controversial issues in
a fair and honest manner.
We have a clear direction
of travel and detailed policies underpinning the
vision will follow in due
course.
I was pleased that
whilst Ed Miliband delivered a well thought out
vision after which he
spent a considerable
amount of time answering
questions which ranged
from the issues about
recession to clamping
down of Indian student
visas, controversies about
the extradition policies
and citizenship issues
faced by Nepali community in the UK.

Immigrant bashing from Left,
Right and Centre!
In times of national economic crisis it
seems there are many in society, media
and public life that will jump on the
bandwagon of bashing the immigrants.
Traditionally there was a tendency that
such abuse would be meted out by
those from the right or the far right.
Increasingly it seems that those on the
left and the centre have also seen that
there is great merit in them joining this
immigrant bashing to garner public support, and I assume votes.
Wholesale unchecked immigration
from Europe was of course by courtesy
of the last Labour government. Under
the pretence that it was a European
mandate and they could not do nothing
millions came into the UK unchecked.
However, the people who got the stigmatic blame for all the ills in society
tended to be those from the Indian and
African sub-continent. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll let you judge
if you feel colour or faith had anything
to do with it also.
No doubt some bright spark from
the civil service came up with the idea
of having a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Citizenship Testâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; that applicants had to pass (get 75% correct)
before their application could be considered (try it out if you wish:
http://www.ukcitizenshiptest.co.uk/ ).
I am certain in my mind that if the average Britain was asked to take the same
test, a sizeable proportion would fail.
So what would that tell us about the
Brits in Britain? That they are any less
British for failing their own Citizenship
test? Of course if you are from Europe,
you can walk into Britain and do what
you like and that is perfectly acceptable
to Governments of all colours. So in
Britain the state will wilfully discriminate against certain communities from
certain countries whilst allowing others
to walk in free and unchallenged. The
state is endorsing a policy of creating
1st and 2nd class citizens. And as far as
I can tell, the vast majority of ethnic
minority MPs and Peers have either
turned a blind eye to this rampant state
discrimination or are in such fear of
their party whip, they dare not step out
of line. To me it seems they have abdicated their responsibilities to their communities.
So what was it that riled me sufficiently that I thought I had to put pen
to paper? Well it was none other than
Ed Miliband himself.
On 14th
December he thought he would conjure
up immigration and out do the far right
by saying that public sector jobs should
only be for those who can communicate
in English. On the face of it, it seems
reasonable. However, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disaggregate
his contention and see if what he said
really does make sense, or is he a numpty who has jumped on yet another
bandwagon to bash the immigrant?
Did you know that there are more
than 5.7 million people who work in
our public services? Yes, you read that

correctly. Now how many of those millions do you think are unable to communicate in English? I did ask the
Labour press office and also Ed
Miliband (at least three times) that
same question and so far they have
failed to respond. I think we all know
why â&#x20AC;&#x201C; he has no leg to stand on and has
been caught out scaremongering the
public by spreading misinformation.
In his eagerness to counter the
results of the 2011 Census data, Ed has
not just jumped the gun; it seems he has
decided to machine gun everything in
sight in the hope that he hits something
worthwhile.
His other contention being that
having English language will get people
to integrate. There is nothing new in
that argument except that knowing
how to communicate is just one element that assists someone to integrate.
However, there are currently 10â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s of
thousands in the country who can communicate very well in English and have
chosen not to integrate. This shows
that the individuals concerned must
also want to integrate and until that
pre-requisite is in place, the integration
process cannot start.
Language is of course an important
tool to access the many services we
have on offer. Language/s allows people to express their thoughts and
respond
to
their
neighbours.
Languages empower people to be
greater than the result of their monolinguistic acumen. However, is it not
the case that the vast majority of immigrants are in fact bi-lingual with many
more having more than three languages?
Politicians of all colours will use
every excuse to appear tough on immigrants. The 2011 census has rattled all
the parties to their core and they have
realised that certain communities are
growing at a much faster rate than
many of the others. They are all so
scared that they dare not tell us what it
is that is on their minds. Under the
pretence of the term â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Asianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, the truth is
that they are scared of the huge
increase in the Muslim population. In
fact from the previous census the
Muslim community has increased by
100%. It has gone from 2.5% of the
population to now stand at 5% of the
population (or 2.7 million). Rather
than engaging with all communities
with respect, the current trend is to
bash them all up so that the far right
parties do not get the public vote.
UKIP are doing great. The LibDems as
I had predicted are destroyed and can
be ignored for a decade or so now.
Labour and the Tories should know
better, yet both David Cameron and Ed
Miliband are playing with fire. Can
they contain the fire they have started
or will it burn out of control if they continue to stoke it?

!

Marina (middle) and Shirin Wheeler accepting the IJA Lifetime Achievement trophy on
behalf of their late father Sir Charles Wheeler from the Indian high commissioner in the UK
Dr Jaimini Bhagwati
(Photo Courtesy: Clayton Barreto)

London-based
Indian
Journalists' Association
(IJA) has conferred its
Lifetime
Achievement
Award for 2012 posthumously to Sir Charles
Wheeler, who was BBC's
correspondent in Delhi
from 1958 to 1962. The
award was accepted at an
IJA Christmas dinner over
the weekend by Wheeler's
two daughters Shirin and
Marina Wheeler.
Three years ago, IJA,
established in 1947 and
one of the world's most
durable and successful
foreign correspondents'
bodies, instituted an
annual lifetime achievement award. It announced
this would go to either an
eminent Indian foreign
correspondent who served
in the United Kingdom or
an eminent British foreign
correspondent who served
in India.
In the first two years,
the coveted prize went to
Dicky Rutnagur and S
Nihal Singh. Wheeler is,
therefore, the first Briton
to receive the recognition.
His daughters described
this as "a great honour as
it came from his professional peers". The trophy a Waterford crystal bowl was presented by the
Indian high commissioner
in the United Kingdom Dr
Jaimini Bhagwati.

In a riveting double
act, the Wheeler sisters
recounted their father's
career. Not only did Sir
Charles report significant
stories from India like the
1962 Chinese invasion
and before this the Dalai

in 2008 at the age of 85.
The Daily Telegraph, the
highest circulated British
broadsheet, recorded in an
obituary he "was the last
working member of the
stylish post-war school of
television reporting and
one of the few
British television journalists to whom
the term distinguished
could properly
be applied".
Wheeler's
association
with
India,
however, went
deeper. While
serving there
Charles Wheeler and his Sikh bride
he fell in love
Dip Singh
with and married a beautiful Indian
Lama's arrival in India
woman Dip Singh. Now
from Tibet in 1959 and
Lady Dip, she lives in the
Queen Elizabeth II's first
county of Sussex. One of
state visit to India in 1961,
her regrets, her daughters
but with his piercing style
revealed, was the fact that
returned there in 1977 to
because of circumstances
do a series of despatches
she had to give up her
on the Emergency and the
Indian nationality and
general election of that
take up British nationality
year.
during her husband's
Other than his stint in
tense Berlin assignment.
India, Wheeler did postDaughter Shrin folings in Berlin while the
lowed in her father's footcity was still divided and
where his daughters were
steps to become a BBC
born and Washington durjournalist and presenter
out of Brussels. Marina is
ing the civil rights movea barrister, whose husband
ment, the Vietnam War
is the Mayor of London
and Watergate.
Boris Johnson.
Wheeler died of cancer

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in
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UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 22nd December 2012

Asian elite reject positive discrimination

WE ARE NOW ON
FACEBOOK AND TWITTER

Keval Dhokia
Senior Asian leaders from
both the public and private sector have rejected
the notion of positive discrimination in recruitment, as a way of increasing the disproportionately
low level of ethnic minority people in the senior
management of organisations in this country. They
all voiced concern at the
under-representation of
Asian people in government as well as the private
sector.
The Indian-origin chief
executive of controversial
outsourcing giant Serco
Group, Chris Hyman,
who grew up in apartheid
South Africa, announced
that: “Positive discrimination doesn’t work for me
because it devalues success”, adding that employers shouldn’t “do diversity
because (they) have to but
because they want a competitive advantage.”
Attending the launch
of
new
think-tank
Diversity UK, in Holborn,
Mr Hyman joined a panel
of high-level speakers
including
Baroness
Verma,
Minister
for
Energy
and
Climate
Change,
and
Bala
Mahendran,
CEO
of
Basildon Council, to
address an audience of
young Asian professionals, community leaders
and businessman Oliver

ing in the Asian community by Mr Joshi and CEO of
Basildon Council, told the
audience how he had been
maimed as a child, making
him “not only an ethnic
minority but also disabled”.
He was also asked
about ‘ghettoisation’ and
the isolation of ethnic
communities
into
enclaves, which generally
had lower levels of English
language proficiency, and
access to the opportunities that led to senior management jobs outside
these ethnic enclaves. Mr
Mahendran said: “We
need to deal with this from
the grassroots level, to
prepare people to compete
in a globalised environment, and improve the
skills of minorities so that
they are prepared to take
on higher responsibilities.
“This isn’t even about
dumbing down standards
or performance to cater to
badly represented groups;
I agree with Chris, I think
diversity is an asset and
benefits UK plc. Also,
interracial marriage has
been on the rise in Britain
and the most recent cen-

Rothschild.
Chairing the board of
trustees of the new thinktank, Dilip Joshi, opened
the proceedings by saying:
“We have a formidable
panel here today that illustrates the public and private sector potential of
diversity in the workplace.
I am a Gujarati who, like

so many, came here after
Idi Amin’s expulsion of
Indians from Uganda, and
I am proud to be here to
open this ground-breaking
event.”
Young Asian representatives of and various
managers in the financial
services industry were also
present as Lopa Patel,

founder and CEO of
Diversity UK, lambasted
Goldman Sachs for their
poor record on ethnic variety at its higher echelons.
She said: “When you look
at Goldman’s board what
you essentially see are
white men. I’m glad to see
that they took part in the
London
Evening
Standard’s jobless campaign by offering 10
young, mostly Asian, people apprenticeships.
“We are tracking their
progress to see what is
stopping these minorities
from reaching the top, and
we have created this
forum to bring the debate
into the public arena, so
we don’t just have to talk
about this over the
‘kitchen table’.”
Bala
Mahendran,
described
as
the
‘Godfather’ for his stand-

sus figures show that
mixed race people are the
fastest growing demographic in this country. So
I think there has been
great progress in integration over the last few
decades, but we have a
long way to go.”
Baroness Verma, a
Conservative party member of the House of Lords,
gave the final speech of
the evening. She said:
“During a recent trip to
Scotland on government
business I was subjected
to an unjustified level of
searching, and was not
allowed through the airport until I told them I
was a Minister of the
Crown. My experience
shows that prejudice is
very much alive and well.
“We haven’t made
enough progress on diversity because we assume
the glass ceiling isn’t there
to be removed and we
accept second best. We
shouldn’t have to still promote diversity but we also
shouldn’t accept the status quo. Our generation
must not allow things to
remain the same for the
next generation.”

6

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 22nd December 2012

Tesco proves that building brands and
understanding consumers isn’t easy
By Spriha Srivastava

Suraj Sharma

the new generation star
Academy Award-winning
director Ang Lee, the
director of Brokeback
Mountain,
Crouching
Tiger and Hidden Dragon
directs LIFE OF PI,
based
upon
Yann
Martel’s beloved book,
which went on to become
one of the biggest publishing events of the past
decade.
An epic adventure of
magical realism, LIFE OF
PI follows the story of a
young man’s incredible
survival at sea against
almost impossible odds.
A remarkable breakthrough in the use of 3D
technology, PI will take
audiences on an emotionally captivating journey
that will inspire, touch
and transport them to a
place of discovery they
will be unable to forget.
LIFE OF PI stars newcomer Suraj Sharma as
Pi, Gerard Depardieu,
Rafe Spall, Irrfan Khan
and Tabu.
Yann Martel’s novel
has been adapted into a
screen play by David
Magee
(Finding
Neverland), produced by
Ang Lee, Gil Netter
(Water for Elephants),
David
Womark
(Stardust), co-produced
by
David
Lee.
Cinematography
by
Claudio Miranda (The
Curious Case of Benjamin
Button), editing by Tim
Squyres (Crouching Tiger
Hidden
Dragon).
Production Design by
David Gropman (Date
Night), music by Mychael
Danna
(Little
Miss
Sunshine).
But the star of the
show is 19 year old Suraj
Sharma who was offered
the role just as he was
completing his schooling
in Delhi after which he
moved on to do his under
graduation
from
St.
Stephen’s college in Delhi
University.
I caught up with him
for a short chit-chat and
found him extremely
enthusiastic about his
work and his new career. I
asked how he felt about
his plunge into the world
of cinema and he said, “It
was great to just plunge
into it. You know, I went
in with no expectations. I
started off with no expectations and somehow I
got this amazing gift, and
the best thing you can do
is plunge into it, you
know? What else could

you do? You don't know
what you're doing. You
just go for it.”
A total of 3,000 young
Indian men auditioned
for the role of Piscine
Molitor Patel, the titular
Pi in director Ang Lee’s
eagerly anticipated adap-

non-franchise film opening of all time after
Avatar. Life Of Pi is the
second highest opening
film of all time for
Twentieth Century Fox
after Avatar in India.
Several Indian celebrities excitedly tweeted

Mo Luthra
Branding Consultant
www.moluthra.com
As we gear up for
Christmas, one place I
can imagine most of us
will visit will be a Tesco
store. The third largest
retailer in the world; a
far cry from its humble
beginnings in Burnt
Oak, in 1929.
Regardless of how big
you are, business is
always about taking
risks and rolling the dice
in order to grow, and
with that, nothing is
guaranteed.
Tesco is certainly not
immune to this. At the
beginning of the month
they announced that
they would quit on their
American brand ‘Fresh
and Easy’, closing about
two hundred stores
across California and

Nevada. At an estimated
£1.6
billion,
this
American gamble certainly wasn’t cheap.
The root of the problem was that they misunderstood the American
market.
The store design was
larger than convenience
ones but smaller than
full scale supermarkets;
which was confusing for
Americans, as was the
self-service checkouts.
Also they stocked them
with own label produce
and a heavy flavouring of
ready meals. While this
has worked so well in the
UK, it certainly didn’t go
down a treat in America.
A business from a
corporate level can dictate what its brand
stands for and how it is
meant to be understood.
What it can’t control is
the feelings and responses from the consumer.
This is why creating
brands is so tricky. We
are not dealing with linear relationships but
complex systems which
have
many
inputs.
Cultural attitudes, individual preference, existing competitors, all these
and many more play an
integral role in developing a brand.
To further add complexity the consumer

doesn’t often know what
it is they want. That’s
why market research at
times can be a poor indicator of whether an idea
will fly or fall flat. This is
because what people
think and what people
do, can be very contradictory.
A famous example of
this from the 70’s is Akio
Morita, the then head of
Sony Corporation. Sony
did lots of consumer
research around portable
music. Funnily enough,
the research came back
and stated ‘there was no
demand
for
mobile
music’. Morita completely ignored that and said
let’s build the Walkman
anyway, and the rest as
they say is history.
Like any good business, Tesco is not
deterred from hunting
out another challenge. It
is looking to increase its
stake and commitment
in India and to expand
into Tesco branded retail
stores.
These
are
planned to be built in
Bangalore and Mumbai
and should be coming
very soon.
Wishing all readers at
Asian Voice a happy
Christmas and a prosperous New Year, from Mo
Luthra, branding consultant.

Mud throwing at India House
upsets Indians
tation of Yann Martel’s
2001 novel. It was actually Sharma’s younger
brother who was to read
for the part, but Suraj
went along with him to
keep him company, so he
auditioned too. When I
ask him how his brother
feels about how it worked
out, he laughs.
Suraj was only 16
when
the
audition
process started. “Initially
everything was just surreal and unexpected,” he
says. “It’s continued that
way. It’s funny to say this,
but it’s literally like I’ve
been on this boat and I’ve
been drifting around and
doing all these things and
seeing all these things
that I never thought I
would do or see. It’s quite
unbelievable.”
With the Tamil and
Hindi versions releasing
on 20th December 2012
in 2D and 3D, the film is
already enjoying box
office success in India
since it opened on the
22nd of November. The
film had the fifth biggest
opening weekend of 2012
in India and the tenth
highest of all time among
MPA titles.
It is the highest nonfranchise opening of this
year and the third highest

about the film when it
released
in
India.
Everyone
from
Bollywood’s acting royalty to the industry’s
acclaimed directors and
musicians
and
the
respected Indian media
are singing Life Of Pi’s
praises
Mr. Lee never considered shooting scenes set in
Pi’s childhood home of
Pondicherry, India – anywhere but the former
French colony. “While we
were working on the script
I scouted and there is really nothing else that compares to French India,”
Mr. Lee explains. “It’s
unique and somewhat
unfamiliar to the rest of
the world. It’s like you can
just drop a camera anywhere there, turn it on,
and the picture will be
beautiful.”
The movie has done a
great job and an even better job done by young
Suraj Sharma who played
the role of Pi with amazing
emotional depth considering he just 19. With
absolutely no prior acting
experience, this is Suraj’s
launch in the world of cinema. With the age and a
blockbuster on his side,
Suraj has proved that he
is definitely here to stay.

Let us know what you think.
Email Spriha at aveditorial@abplgroup.com

A recent report in a popular Indian daily said that
the Indian high commission in London is considering lodging a firm
protest with the British
foreign office about yet
another failure on the
part of the London metropolitan police to provide
protection to its premises.
A group of unruly protesters armed with horns,
megaphones and pots and
pans descended on the

entrance of the diplomatic mission a fortnight
back, depositing a substantial quantity of mud
at the main entrance of
the building to block
access. They demanded
the Indian government
debar mining at the
Niyamgiri in Odissa,
India.
Soon after the incident, Indian diplomats
apparently summoned the
London
metropolitan

police's diplomatic protection force to express
its "displeasure" and seek
an
explanation.
The
police reportedly said
they are looking at the
video footage to identify
the trouble makers. The
high commission's security officers are assisting
them in this task.
Asian Voice could not
reach India House for any
further comments on this
incident.

We are seeking strong Media personnel who can
demonstrate the following
l A proactive approach to securing revenue
through both telephone and face to face sales
l Excellent communication skills
l A track record of hitting targets and succeeding
within a media sales environment

l Salary no bar for right candidate
l Freshers can also apply
Send your CV to L.George

Fly Etihad to Ahmedabad
Etihad Airways has launched daily flights to the Indian city of
Ahmedabad since November 2012. Asian Voice editor CB Patel was
invited to enjoy one of the inaugural flights to experience first-hand
the route on the airline which has just won the World’s Leading
Airline for the fourth consecutive year by the World Travel Awards,
considered to be the “Oscars of the travel industry”:

CB’s experience
“Check in at Heathrow
was extremely smooth
with welcoming smiles
and an efficient service. Of
course this comes as part
of the experience when
you get to fly on their Pearl
Business Class! After
some gift shopping for
friends and family, I went
through to the lounge
which had a relaxing
ambience to enjoy some
complimentary refreshments and drinks before
boarding. I was lucky to
enjoy a fast-track service
to board the aircraft and to my seat in the Pearl
Business Class cabin. This class offers the latest inflight entertainment technology including a wide
range of film and music channels and games. For the
business traveller, seats offer USB, IPOD and
Ethernet sockets so one could work and stay connected to the office easily. One of the main things people
enjoy or complain about on flights is the food, but I
was spoilt for choice. The quality of food on my flights
was superb with an international á la carte menu
offered for breakfast, lunch and dinner, catering for
vegetarian and non-vegetarians. The on-board food
and beverage manager also offered wines which comEtihad Airways’ new service to Ahmedabad will offer
nearly 1,000 seats a week into the Gujarati city and the
November 2012 launch coincided with the beginning of
the peak travel season in India. The airline anticipates
strong traffic flows from Ahmedabad to Abu Dhabi and
onto its European and US destinations. It also under-

plimented each passenger’s choice of meal. And to top
it off, if you did not want a meal, you could choose
from their Kitchen Anytime menu which offers a
range of snacks to be served whenever you wished.
What I was really pleasantly surprised by were the lieflat beds which have in built massage panels –I certainly took advantage of this and fell asleep during my
massage! After my meal and a very comfortable nap,
we landed for a short stopover in Abu Dhabi where
my transit was smooth and I again enjoyed the
Business Class lounge facilities to rejuvenate before
the final leg of my journey. After a freshly brewed cappuccino and some fresh warm pastries in the lounge,
I went to stretch my legs and explore the airport
which I discovered is spotless. It offers fantastic duty
free shopping, the airport itself was airy and beautiful
in architecture, and very easy to navigate around.
Soon enough, it was time again to board the plane,
where I was served a breakfast menu with hot and
cold options. Although I was really full and knew that
when I landed, my relations in Ahmedabad would also
be plying me with more food, I could not resist their
tempting menus! After watching some TV and chatting to my fellow passengers, before I knew it, we
were ready to land. As soon as I exited the airport, the
familiar sights and smells reminded me how great it
was to be back home, and that I will be coming back
as often as I can. And now that I’ve experienced
Etihad, as the flight was so comfortable, staff extremely efficient and all my needs catered for, Etihad
Airways will definitely be my preferred airline of
choice to fly to India and I would recommend anyone
to fly with them.”
lines Etihad Airways’ commitment to serve the major
population centres across India. With the addition of
Ahmedabad, Etihad Airways now flies to nine Indian
destinations including the cities of New Delhi, Chennai,
Mumbai, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad,
Bangalore and Kochi.
Etihad Airways’ President and Chief Executive
Officer, James Hogan, said: “Etihad Airways is committed to serving the Indian market and people, whether in
India or the diaspora. We are delighted to launch this
new service and are committed to serving our customers
in Gujarat. Our daily, two-class A320 service to
Ahmedabad is another step in expanding our presence
on the Indian Subcontinent and connecting key strategic
cities with Abu Dhabi. We are confident that the addition
of the Ahmedabad service will further strengthen commercial and cultural ties between India and the UAE and
will lead to continued strong growth in traffic flows
between India, Abu Dhabi and beyond.”
To book your Etihad Airways flight, call their appointed agents Brightsun Travel on 0208 819 0486 or book
online at www.brightsun.co.uk

8

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 22nd December 2012

Jacintha buried in
India amid uproar

Leading Lights

Rani Singh, Special Assignments Editor

The Restaurant Entrepreneur
with a Passion for India
Ed Francis is 29 and has spent the last decade working
in, and running, restaurants in London – including five
years for the Soho House group. Currently he runs The
Hampshire Hog in Ravenscourt Park, splitting his time
between the pub and volunteering for a Non
Governmental Organisation (NGO) in Kolkata called
The Hope Foundation. Ed is now combining his two
passions and opening a restaurant in Mumbai that will
train young adults from the street before finding them
jobs in hospitality.

The body of hoax-call
nurse Jacintha Saldanha,
who allegedly hung herself two weeks ago,
arrived in Mumbai from
London on Sunday afternoon, accompanied by
husband
Benedict
Barboza and his children
Junal, 16, and Lisha, 14,
as it headed towards their
hometown of Shirva in
Karnataka state, South
India. Mrs Saldanha, a
devout Catholic, left
instructions for her funeral in one of three suicide
notes that she wrote.
Hundreds of local
mourners who descended
on the family home to pay
their last respects through
a glass casket in which
Mrs Saldanha’s face could
be seen, were greeted
with a coffin lid resting on
the front wall, bearing a
plaque saying: ‘Royal
Nurse Jacintha Saldanha.
RIP.’
In her notes, she criticised staff at King Edward
VII hospital for treating
her badly after the incident, and blamed the
radio hosts for driving her
to her death. Mr Barboza,
answering questions after
the ceremony, said he had
not yet taken a decision
on whether to pursue
legal action against the
hospital nor did they
know whether they would
sue the Australian radio
station. The now-notorious duo have not apologised to the family formally, and have gone into hiding due to the intensity of
death threats that they
have received.
The wife and mother
of two grew up and completed her nurse’s training only 20 miles away in
the city of Mangalore.
During a memorial service at the Our Lady of
Health Church in Shirva,
conducted by Bishop Dr
Gerald
Isaac
Lobo,
around 2,000 people
packed in to sing hymns
and listen to brief eulogies
about the woman who
apparently died in an
"unfortunate incident".
He said: “Jacintha
Saldanha spent her entire
life looking after people
who were sick and today
it is our turn to show our
appreciation of her work

and her life," said Dr
Lobo. He added: "Jacintha
was a good mother, good
wife and understood the
pain of people.”
The family asked for
photographers and cameramen not to take pictures inside the church or
at the nearby graveyard
where Mrs Saldhana was
buried after the service,

but they managed to
broadcast footage of the
memorial service and burial to international media
channels
nonetheless.
The three remaining
members of the family
were left holding each
other for support as the
crowd of mostly strangers
swelled around the burial
ground.

Keith Vaz attacked for Jacintha role
The senior Asian MP’s involvement with the
Saldanha family questioned
Some sections of the media have discredited Mr
Vaz for “appointing himself the Saldanha family’s official spokesman” and allegedly turning “a private
tragedy into a very public circus”. He has even been
mocked by the Daily Mail for acting “like Tony
Soprano at a Mafia funeral” and criticised for his
close presence in almost all of the Saldanha family’s
photos since they came out in public.
The right-wing newspaper carried on its attack on
the Labour MP writing: “There are well over a million
people of Indian descent living in Britain. Are they all
incapable of fighting their own corner without the
counsel of the Right Honourable Nigel Keith Anthony
Standish Vaz MP? Then again, Vaz has assiduously
played the race card throughout his career.”
This comes after Mr Vaz came out strongly against
the Australian radio station, Southern Cross
Austereo, whose prank call led to nurse Jacintha
Saldanha’s suicide by hanging a fortnight ago. He criticized its conduct in dealing with the deceased’s family in a letter stating: “There has been no written apology, no request for a meeting with the family and no
attempt to travel to the United Kingdom to express
contrition.”
Benedict Barboza, Mrs Saldanha’s husband, and
his two children turned to the chairman of the home
affairs select committee to support them in managing
the media ordeal which they have inadvertently been
thrust into. On 10 December Mr Vaz, before giving an
emotionally charged statement outside parliament
alongside the family, appeared on BBC News saying:
“I’m not sure that they are getting the kind of support
that the DJs in Australia appear to be getting.”
Southern Cross, which verbally apologised for the
stunt, announced last week that it would donate its
advertising revenue until the end of 2012 to a fund for
Saldanha's family, with a minimum contribution of
A$500,000 (£324,936). Mr Vaz wrote to the Southern
Cross chief executive Rhys Holleran saying: “I would
be grateful if you could let me know how you arrived
at this figure and why you think this adequately deals
with this serious and important issue.”
Mr Vaz replied to his critics by saying: “ The family approached me because of my position on the
home affairs select committee and (because) there
was a police investigation being conducted.” He
added that he was determined for them to be told "the
truth" about what had happened and has called for an
additional inquiry by the King Edward VII hospital to
establish all of the facts leading up to Mrs Saldanha’s
death.
Mr Vaz also played a prominent role in supporting
the parents of Anuj Bidve, the Indian student who
was shot dead in Salford, earlier this year. The parents
flew to Britain and visited the MP in parliament while
Greater Manchester Police filled them in on their
investigation into his murder.

Ed is passionate about
India and its culture. He
has no Asian heritage,
but his interest in the
country came about in a
special way. He worked
for the daughter of Dame
Joan Plowright, who is a
Patron of the NGO he
now volunteers for. He
and his team were
approached as a business
to assist with fundraising, and he made his first
trip to the slums of
Kolkata in October 2010.
Ever since, he has been
fascinated with the culture of India both historically and sociologically.
He sees India as “A
nation steeped in tradition, governed by religion, yet increasingly
looking to the west for
cultural inspiration and
opportunity,” Ed told us.
“Seeing a country from
the bottom up really connects you with what
makes it tick. It’s fascinating how India works
once you stop seeing
through western eyes.”
Ed says that doing
business in an emerging
country gives him cause
for concern on a daily
basis. But he is working
with a local partner, and
so will be guided through
all the potential barriers.
“Ensuring I’m not taken
advantage of!” he laughs.
Ed’s business is born
out of a desire
to combine his
twin pleasures;
his job and his
p a s s i o n .
“Mumbai fits
the bill perfectly.” He says. He
is opening a
western-style
restaurant and
bar in the south
of the city that
caters for “discerning locals
as well as international visitors. It will be
simple, stylish
and fun with an
emphasis
on
imported British products and great food!”
The restaurant will
also fund a training
school that will take former street children, train
them for six months
alongside experienced
staff, and then place
them in employment with

Ed Francis

Like Jamie Oliver’s
Fifteen, the restaurant
group that uses the magic
of food to give unemployed young people in
the UK a chance to have
a better future? Ed
answers, “I guess so.
Although I think it’s
important to make a distinction between the
issues that the young
adults face here, and in
India. In India, their lives
can often be despicable,
with no route out of
grinding poverty without
intervention. It’s this
heart-wrenching hopelessness that fuels my
desire to help.”
London has an unpar-

Mumbai, but a huge market to tap in to. I think
it’s a great place to do
business and the right
venue would be hugely
successful.”
Ed recently won a
competition that enabled
him to travel to India
with Richard Branson. It
came about because
Virgin Media runs a community for young entrepreneurs called Virgin
Media Pioneers, which
encourages the development of fledgling businesses through collaboration and resource sharing. They invited members of the free-to-join
forum to state why the
trip would benefit their
business. Ed’s plans fitted the bill perfectly and
he was one of five chosen
to join the Virgin trade
mission.
Richard
Branson
spent an hour chatting to
Ed and other Pioneers in
Delhi at a Virgin Atlantic
party. Ed says, “he was
very forthcoming with
advice, easy to talk to
and bounce ideas off.
Then in Mumbai, we had
a 30-minute q and a with
him, which was hugely
inspirational.
We were also introduced to local entrepreneurs and young business people. Many of
whom are keen to sup-

alleled but saturated dining scene, says Ed, which
is why he is not setting
up in the British capital.
Great sites are snapped
up by corporates with
much deeper pockets
than him. “There are a
few established western
restaurants and bars in

port my project moving
forward.
In terms of ongoing
support, I am hopeful
that Virgin Atlantic will
sponsor return visits so I
can move my project forward more quickly than
would have otherwise
been possible.”

other restaurant and
hotel groups in the city –
giving them a career and
a sustainable route out of
poverty for them and
their families.
Ed is in discussion
Mumbai-based
with
NGOs to ensure he provides a successful programme. He’s also talking to restaurant groups
so that their criteria are
met at the other end.

It’s fascinating
how India works
once you stop
seeing through
western eyes

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 22nd December 2012

9

Miliband urges Britons to embrace diversity
Keval Dhokia
Ed Miliband traveled to
the Shree Kadwa Patidar
Samaj hall in Tooting last
friday to defend last weeks
census figures, which
showed around one in
seven people were now
born outside the UK. In a
direct rebuke to the Home
Secretary, Theresa May’s,
speech attacking these
immigrants last week the
leader of the opposition
said: “I say this as the
child of immigrants. I
wouldn’t be standing here
if it hadn’t been for the
generosity of Britain.
“We are a multi-ethnic,
diverse
Britain
and
increasingly so as the census showed.
And let’s recognise the
way the British people
have embraced this diversity.
Because frankly we’ve
had our fair share of
doomsayers in Britain
over the years.”
Mr Miliband’s speech
was purposely conciliatory
to Britain’s foreign born
population after Mrs May
claimed that immigrants
put unsustainable pressure on public services like
the NHS. He said: “Our
NHS is staffed by nurses
from all over the world.
One third of Team GB
medal winners had parents or grandparents born
outside this country. A

quarter
of
Britain’s Nobel
Prize winners
were born overseas.”
However
Prime Minister
D a v i d
Cameron, riled
by his opponents
comments, spoke
out while on a
trip to Brussels:
“"(Labour)
presided over a
completely broken immigration system
that over 10 years allowed
2 million people net (sic)
to come to the UK – that is
two cities the size of
Birmingham. What we
inherited was a complete
and utter meltdown and
mess. Theresa May made
an excellent speech in
which she explained some
of the steps she has taken,
including closing down
180 bogus colleges. The
challenge for Ed Miliband
is: will you now support
these steps that you
opposed and for 10 or 13
years refused to put into
place?"
Admitting that the previous Labour government
had made mistakes in its
immigration policy, Mr
Miliband claimed sufficient English language
skills were key to harmonious integration, and
unveiled his alternative

We wish all our readers,
supporters and advertisers

A Merry Xmas and a
very Happy New Year

Please note there is no 29th December
issue as we shall be away on a
Christmas break.

See you all in the New Year 2013

job and less able to make
the most of living in
Britain.”
Moreover, London has
become particularly more
diverse with all four of the
top foreign born constituencies in the country
falling within the city –
(London Borough of)
Brent
(55
percent),
Newham (54 percent),
Westminster (53 percent)

and
Kensington
and
Chelsea (52 percent). Mr
Miliband said: “I went to a
comprehensive
school
where today there are
young people whose families come from over 60
countries, with 50 different languages spoken. It is
part of the success story of
London: a truly global
city. I love the diversity of
London.”

Language.
three point plan to aid in
the assimilation of these
The only Asian memnew migrants into British
ber of the Labour shadow
society. The proposals
cabinet, Sadiq Khan,
were:
echoed these sentiments,
Transfer of funding
adding: “We need to do
from translation materials
more to make sure everyone in Britain knows how
to English language lesto speak English. Those
sons for newcomers to
who do not speak English
Britain;
are less able to get a good
Employees in publicly
funded jobs that
involve interaction
with members of
the public should
be required to have
a certain level of
English language
proficiency before
being recruited;
Schools
and
parents of foreign
born pupils should
agree in writing to
share the responsiThe Queen visited the Downing Street on 18th December, the first monarch to attend the meeting
bility of ensuring
of senior ministers for more than 230 years. David Cameron welcomed the monarch on the steps
their children are
of Downing Street before presenting her with a gift of a set of place mats bought after a Cabinet
fully comfortable
whip-round to mark her Diamond Jubilee. The Prime Minister revealed the last time a Cabinet had
been attended by the head of state was George III in 1781.
with the English

We must accord sincere condolences
to family of Late Mrs J. Saldhana. Our
kindest thoughts must be with them at
this period of grief.
While it is true that many questions
will remain unanswered, there are some
which must be raised for introspection by
all and sundry. A nurse who delivers new
lives as profession and inspires confidence among new mothers resorted to
severe act of suicide is unimaginable.
Why did she not counsel herself? Why
did she not seek advice of her superiors
or senior staff, or a church priest etc?
Was she ignorant about Samaritans who
could have solved her dilemma? Why did
she impose death sentence on herself
when many countries have banned it and
UN is mulling to ban it in all countries?
Even if she was tried and found guilty in
court, punishment would never never
have been death sentence.
Why did she take all the blame for
prank when she was accidental victim?
She could have shrugged her shoulders
and pointed at the DJ s and radio station
owners. However, any perpetrators must
be punished harshly even though they
had no evil intentions. Harsh punishment
can be best deterrent for future thoughtless pranksters.
Hospitals must tighten security for in
coming calls and allocate code to VVIP
callers. Also it must appoint one single
spokesman to dispense information, so
any person on duty cannot be trapped.
Such VVIP callers can be referred to
appointed spokesman or bulletin.
Please remember that life is the most
precious gift of God and nothing is worth
sacrifice of such gift. Suicide is a sin and
insult to God.

Ed Miliband in his speech last week in
Tooting acknowledged that the Labour
party got it wrong when it came to immigration. This is a good start. The only
mistake he thinks of the last government
made was not insisting new immigrants
learn English. The truth of the matter is
that under the Labours 5.5 million foreign migrants arrived in this country and
most of the jobs went to foreign-born
workers. Most of the workers who came
to the country do not speak English and
they were recruited to carry out semi and
unskilled jobs since British born people
are not willing to go for low paid jobs
since they are better off being unemployed because of the generous unemployment and social security benefits.
The enlarged common market has
allowed thousands immigrant workers
from Europe to come to UK to look for
jobs and they can claim benefit too.
The labour party allowed thousands
of spouses to come here from Indian sub
continent especially from Bangladesh and
Pakistan who do not speak English too.
These people should be tested for the
basic knowledge of English in their own
country.
The Labour party is against assimilation and this has resulted in Pakistani,
Bangladeshi, Indian and polish colonies
in all towns and cities in Britain. Nobody
says that people who come here should
abandon their culture, but in a multi-cultural and multi-religious society, people
should accept that Western culture. They
should not isolate themselves saying that
we will not take part in Christmas festivities since they belong to different religious groups.
There is no shortage of skilled and unskilled workers in this country but they
are not paid proper wages and the foreign
workers are exploited by offering low
wages.
In short Ed Miliband is ‘naive’ in saying that by asking immigrants to learn
English he can solve the immigration
problem.

In your Asian Voice of 15 December
2012, I read with interest two contrasting
‘dreams’ of hope; that of the Freedom
Team of India who are a small group of
NRIs set up about three years ago who
would like a ‘platform’ to transform the
‘inefficient and inadequate governance
system of India’ into a ‘modern, prosperous and just society’, and the other is that
of the Asians who were expelled from
Uganda 40 years ago.
When India achieved independence in
1947, there was widespread belief that
being a vast country with a huge and
diverse population it would not survive.
But it did survive, and it is very much
alive today. Why? Because the people of
India made it survive. They worked hard
for it and were prepared to make sacrifices. Today, we see India prospering in
many fields and producing intellectuals
who contribute to its economy and promote social welfare. We see progress
being made in its infrastructure. Poverty
levels are going down through availability
of jobs and more opportunities. We see
village life improving. Of course, it is
always very easy to play down positives
and highlight negative issues like corruption and sanitation. But one must compare like with like. If you are happily and
comfortably settled in a small country
like Britain, then it is unfair to belittle
India when its task of governance is so
enormous.
Ugandan Asians never talked ill of the
regime which expelled them. Instead,
they minded their own business, worked
hard, became prosperous and contributed
to Britain’s economy. So, the moral of the
Ugandan Asians’ story is simply this: If
you want to help India, then be always
there in person, join hands with the local
initiatives and not ask for a ready-made
independent ‘platform’.

Ramesh Jhalla
Via Email

Death of the nurse a race issue
It is with great sadness to learn about
yet another Indian life of a hard working
much respected qualified nurse has been
taken away in this country under a different difficult circumstances. I was not surprised to read that even after Jacintha’s
complain to some responsible person, the
hospital had decided not to take any disciplinary action against her colleague. I
assume because she was Indian, she
might have become an easy option of
ignorance. This sort of unfairness is still a
wide spread acceptable practice within
big organisations, especially local governments, and public bodies. There might be
all sorts of Equality and Diversity slogans
or in paper policies, but when it comes to
challenging the foundations of all this,
there are no effective outcomes, unless
you are well supported. But in most of
the cases, workers, just give up. I have
seen too many cases, where Asian members who suffer, are left in isolation or
asked to leave.
Also some papers were quick to point
fingers at MP Keith Vaz For speaking on
behalf of the family. If he was not there,
who else was going to support the family
during these tragic circumstances?

Arun Vaidyanathan
Via Email
Where was Jacintha’s local or Hospital
area MP ? If this incident was involving a
white person, there would have been a lot
of hard hitting wide National coverage.
Jatish Shah
Northampton

Homing in on Gujarat
I must congratulate Asian Voice and
Gujarat Samachar for producing the
Indian Property 2012 supplement aimed
at attracting NRI second-home buyers to
Gujarat.
This amazing production bristles with
eye-catching luxury apartment blocks
and homes in the most elegant environments which compare favourably with
the very best on offer from other holidayhome hotspots such as Spain, Balaeric
and Canary Islands, Italy, Greece, France
and Cyprus.
I particularly like the look of those

Uttambhai D Mistry
Bolton
superb villas on page 8 dotted with palm
trees, and can imagine the fortunate owners snoring away the sun-drenched afternoons on the spacious balconies.
As publisher-editor CB Patel says in
his foreword message: “If the two million
British Indians (including one million
British Gujaratis) are looking for investment in their place of birth or ancestral
homes, it can be said for sure that
Gujarat is an attractive investment
option.” He rightly adds: “Owning a
property in India is not only an instinct
but an emotional bonding.”
Rudy Otter
Via Email

A healthy old age
It was interesting to read letter of
Jayesh A Patel in your issue who narrated four stages of human life as visualised
by our ancient ‘Rishis’. Old age is the age
of experienced wisdom, an age of positive
thinking and spirituality. Instead of being
burden on the family/society a person
should always try to be independent in all
respects and live respectfully.

Please detach the form and send it with your
payment or credit card instructions to address below
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Sachin Tendulkar,
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ensure victory for
India in first test

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Consultative Conference,
(and a member of the
politburo of Communist
Party of China), Modi
showcased Gujarat as a
destination with a conducive environment to
invest and work. He also
explained Gujarat becoming a major tourist destination. He brought out
the richness of Buddhist
culture in Gujarat which
solicited very keen interest among Chinese leadership. He also dwelled
upon the ancient Indian
and Chinese ethos, relationship, friendship, cultural and business ties.
While
showcasing

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Brand ‘Gujarat’ – which is
equated with Guangdong
of China, he invited
Chinese business community and public enterprises to participate in the
Vibrant Gujarat Global
Investors’ Summit- 2013.
He
highlights
Gujarat’s special investment regions as areas
where Chinese companies
could invest. He called on
China to invest in infrastructure and power projects in the state, wooing
potential investors with a
sales pitch that showcased Gujarat as a state
with levels of “governance, transparency and
stability” that they could
not find elsewhere in
India. He declared that
“the two great countries
will make Asia the centrestage of the global economy.”
)(.#(/

away five years from
your life.
Adding and subtracting years from your life
has never before been
quantified in such medical terms, say doctors.
The 15-minute short-cut
to good health, in fact,
changes the most fundamental rule that was
approved by the World
Health
Organizationthat 150 minutes of
activity a week is needed
to stay healthy.
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Genuine No Win No Fee

SOC
IE
TY

The cancellation of 80 flights in the past
couple of days left thousands of passengers in the lurch prompting the
Directorate General of Civil Aviation to
demand an explanation from Kingfisher.
The cash-strapped airline claimed
that it had to drop flights as the company was trying to reconfigure its aircraft.
There was chaos at several airports after
passengers complained that they were
not intimated about the Kingfisher cancellations.
)(.#(/ )( * !

A new theory says
that any physical
activity for 15 minutes every day is a
good
insurance
against a plethora of
health problems, be
it related to the
heart, the brain or
even cancer.
A study published in
The Lancet, a British
medical journal, said
that just a quarter-hour
of physical exertion a
day could reduce a person's risk of death by
14% and increase life
expectancy by three
years compared to inactive people.
Incidentally, another
theory published in a different British journal
said daily TV-viewing for
six hours could take

Gay marriages and Asian
community
It is not so unusual or uncommon for
me to agree with my Muslim friends who
mostly derive from fringe communities
like Daudi Bhora, Ismali and Shia IthnaAsheris. Your lead article in last week’s
AV (Asian leaders say “No” to gay marriage) reflect our views, our way of thinking which we feel is in our inbuilt cultural heritage.
It is indeed fool hardy on the part of
the Coalition Government to bring up
such a divisive legislation, especially
when the country is crying for a firm
leadership to solve our massive economic
crisis. It is indeed not a priority for even
gay people most of whom are satisfied
with the civil partnership bill introduced
not long ago. There is not much difference between this bill and the reform of
HOL bill that was confined to dustbin as
soon as it was debated in HOC.
I hope Labour MPs in HOC will support some 100 Conservative MPs who
would oppose it and put an end to this
political nonsense that may cause deep
division on the religious, ethnic and cultural divide.
It seems “Church of England” will be
forbidden from conducting “Gay
Marriages” while other religious establishments like mosques, temples, gurdwaras and synagogues will have the freedom of opting in to carry out Gay
Marriage ceremonies.
As there are so many restrictive clauses and strong opposition from practically
every religion, including Catholics, only a
tiny percentage, perhaps no more than
10% of the religious places would apply
to conduct such ceremonies, perhaps
with the exception of Quakers and
Unitarians.
PM David Cameron would like to be
seen as a liberal Conservative, a reformer
but in the process he may strengthen the
right wing of his party and many Asian
members may desert the sinking ship at
the next election.
Bhupendra M Gandhi
Via Email
Instead of restaurant food and drinks,
home cooked vegetarian food is good for
health. Sensible life style of earlier age
group helps a person lot in old age. Daily
exercise such as Yoga is good for our body
and mind. All diseases originate in mind.
Instead of hospitals and medicines
(sometimes necessary) let nature heal us,
daily prayer is food for the soul as good
food is for the body.
In old are over activeness and over
passiveness are both risky, person should
follow middle way as preached by Lord
Buddha. Married couples in third stage of
life
Vanaprastha,
should
follow
Ramkrishna Parmanhsa and Gandhi’s life
which helps stability and long life. I know
of 2 people in London enjoying life at 92
without any disease or regular medication, thanks to their ‘Vaishnav’ life style.
Good health in old age is the best of
all possessions.
Dhanjibhai Tanna MBE
Pinner

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 22nd December 2012

11

Foreign students stranded Vijay Arjune – a safe pair of hands in the RAF
due to visa woes
Christmas is the last time
foreign students see their
parents before going away
for a whole year, until they
finish their exams.
After
arrival
in
autumn, the longest break
is
usually
Christmas
before the summer holidays, which are taken up
mostly for preparation of
exams, or part time job
hunts (permitted hours
within visa rules) to cope
the expenses of living in a
foreign city.
But reportedly the
UKBA's slack in momentum for extending visa
leads to thousands of foreign students at British
universities
ultimately
spending Christmas apart
from their families due to
delays in visa processing
which leave them without
passports for months and
unable to exit the country.
Students complain of
waits between four and
seven months to extend
an existing visa or update
it when starting a new
course, as the UK Border
Agency struggles to cope
with staff cuts and constant updates to immigration rules.
Daniel Stevens, international students officer
for the National Union of
Students, estimates that
“thousands” of school-age

children and adult students are unable to return
home this year. The NUS
estimates that foreign students are worth £12.5bn a
year to the UK economy.
According to Dominic
Scott, chief executive of
UK
Council
for
International
Student
Affairs, the delays have
worsened as new requirements such as biometric
processing make the system more complicated.
Separately, a report by
John Vine, the chief
inspector of borders and
immigration, found that
despite agency data showing that 85 per cent of student visa cases were dealt
with within the four week
target, his own investigation found only 12 per
cent completed within this
time. The Border Agency
says it warns customers
that applications may take
as long as six months, and
that it will deploy extra
staff in areas where
demand is high.
But Keith Vaz, a
Labour MP and chairman
of the Commons home
affairs committee, is not
persuaded. “The agency
doesn’t care that it takes
so long, and it thinks
delay is an important part
of immigration control,”
he says.

GP jailed for assaulting patients
A lecherous GP who sexually assaulted women
patients during medical
examinations over three
decades was jailed for 11
years last week. Dr
Gousul Islam, 70, (pictured) regularly made
inappropriate comments
and
propositioned
patients and staff for sex.
In his consulting room at
a village surgery, he serially groped teenage girls and
young women.
Judge Simon Lawler
said this was the ‘worst
case of its kind by a professional man’ he had
encountered in 40 years.
Michelle Colborne, prosecuting, said Dr Islam
‘exploited the naivety’ of
his patients and ‘he suc-

ceeded because as the GP
in a close-knit community
he was in a position of
trust and status and
power.’ He was finally
caught when one victim
went to police in March
2010 and others came forward. He was suspended
by the General Medical
Council and will now be
struck off. The jury found
him guilty of indecently
assaulting seven women
patients between 1970
and 1995.

Indian woman's death prompts....
Continued from page 1
to force the Irish government to announce that it
will be legalising abortion
in rare cases. The authorities in Ireland decided to
amend its abortion laws
after coming under intense
pressure from citizens and
the Indian government, for
not
allowing
Savita
Halappanavar to have an
abortion that would have
saved her life.
Her parents announced
on Thursday that the
amended abortion law
should be named after their
deceased daughter, because
it was her death that
caused a revaluation of the
abortion issue in the country.
Savita’s
father,
Andanappa Yalagi said: “I
appeal to the government

to name the legislation in
her memory.”
Speaking at their home
in Belgaum, in the southern Indian state of
Karnataka, the parents
welcomed the decision by
Ireland to repeal legislation
that makes abortion a
criminal act and to introduce regulations allowing
abortions when a woman's
life is in danger.
Mr Yalagi said his
daughter had repeatedly
asked for a termination of
the pregnancy and he
blamed the doctors for her
death: “They watched her
die. They should be punished.”
The high-profile case is
now being investigated by
the catholic country’s
health authorities, after the

Vijay Arjune started his
professional life in commercial banking, but it
never quite gave him the
challenge and adventure
that he realised he was
seeking, so he joined the
Royal Air Force. Nine
years later he is still enjoying every day.
“I wanted a job which
would stretch me, interest
me and give me a sense of
self worth. I discovered
that the RAF offered the
opportunity and funding
for future academic study
through the Enhanced
Learning Credit scheme
and, as I was keen to
attain a degree but did not
want to burden my parents
with having to fund my
studies or accrue a large
amount of debt through
student loans, this seemed
ideal.” Said Vijay.
So, anticipating the
chance to travel and to
develop his own skills and
qualifications, Vijay took
the plunge, joined up and
trained in the critically
important role of a Flight
Operations Assistant.
“I provide mission and
operational support to Air
Traffic Control, Station
Operations and Squadron
Operations, which allows
for job rotation breaking
the monotony of a regular
9-5 role. My duties are
vital to flight safety and
vary from carrying out
final checks on departing
or recovering aircraft,
booking diplomatic clearances for aircraft transiting overseas and liaison
with numerous internal
and external agencies to
aid in the safe transit of all
aircraft and aircrew at
home and in operational
theatres.” Explained Vijay,
who can be justifiably
proud of the value of the
work he does, not least
since he has won two
Flight Safety Awards and
a Commendation from
Commander in Chief
Strike Command.
Whilst training and
working in his specialist
area, Vijay has taken full
advantage of the study and
learning
opportunities
offered by the RAF, he
said: “Since joining I
attained a BA (Hons) in
Business Studies studying
part time at De Montfort
University Leicester over
four years. Then I did a
Post Graduate Diploma in
Management
at
the
University of Lincoln,
again part-time on half day
release and am hoping to
complete my Masters
31-year-old, who was 17
weeks pregnant, died at
University
Hospital
Galway following a miscarriage.
Abortion is currently
illegal in Ireland and the
four Catholic Archbishops
of Ireland, including a senior Cardinal representing
the Pope, Sean Brady, have
criticised the decision by
the government as going
against the Christian principles that they embody.

Vijay Arjune

Degree
in
Business
Administration next year.
All supported by the RAF,
for which I am very grateful”.
Vijay’s other aspiration for travel has also
been satisfied. He told us:
“
“I have had the opportunity to travel to many
countries
experiencing
their culture and ways of
life whilst carrying out my
duties in the RAF. I have
supported NATO operations in Afghanistan on
four occasions where I
have
forged
lifelong
friendships, and come to
appreciate the importance
of my role in the RAF in
trying to bring safety and
stability to that country. I
have supported numerous
training and evaluation
exercises in Arizona and
Las Vegas USA, Oman,
India,
United
Arab
Emirates, Sweden, the

Falkland Islands and
Cyprus to name a few, as
well as taking the opportunity for adventurous training in exercises ranging
from Rock Climbing in
Spain to Mountain Biking
in North Wales. It’s been
amazing!”
Vijay is from a small
close knit, family orientated background. Did he
have any qualms about fitting-in in the RAF?
“Initially, I did worry

that people might not
understand or appreciate
my culture, lifestyle and
humour, however, these
apprehensions were all
answered when I started
initial recruit training and
realised that everyone,
regardless of racial back-

ground, shared the same
concerns. Throughout my
career in the RAF I have
never had issues with
practising my religious
beliefs or expressing my
opinions as an individual.
I have always had parity of
treatment alongside my
peers and embrace the
RAF ethos and core values
which I believe has made
me a greater asset to society as a whole.” Said Vijay
candidly.
Now, Vijay has the
rank of acting Sergeant
and is looking forward to
thirteen more years of
service: “I am thoroughly
enjoying my current role
as a RAF Recruiting
Consultant at the Armed
Forces Careers Office in
Nottingham” He said.
“This job gives me the
opportunity to engage
with a large cross section
of the community sharing
my
experiences
and
achievements which, I
hope, is an incentive and
inspiration to the many
young people who, like
myself 9 years ago, may be
unsure about the benefits
of a career in the RAF.”
Vijay is now hoping to
become a substantive
Sergeant, with a view to
going for a commission
once he has finished his
Masters Degree. In the
mean time, his expression
says it all, Vijay is a man
who is definitely happy in
his work.

12

MEDIA WATCH

Asian Voice - Saturday 22nd December 2012

Scrutator’s
V.P.Menon, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s principal aide, describing the integration of the subcontinent’s princely states into the
paramount Indian Union, warned that the new India could not
afford to be afraid of its own shadow. When the carrot failed
to persuade, the stick assuredly did. Statecraft requires that
this be so when the situation warrants.
Addressing the media recently, Admiral D.K.Joshi spoke of
the Indian Navy’s willingness and ability to traverse the seas in
the defence of the country’s economic interests. He referred to
the navy’s force projection capabilities as its ship-building programme continued apace, into which was factored China’s military modernization.
India’s National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon
appeared to take umbrage at Admiral Joshi’s forthright words.
Mr Menon issued a broadside, directed ostensibly at the media
(which simply reported the facts), but with Admiral Joshi as the
real target. He accused newspapers of overblown reportage of
the Chinese threat and claimed to have established a model of
cooperative endeavour with China. The proof every pudding is
in the eating, hence Indians would do well not to rock’n roll
just yet, and to maintain their pessimism of the intellect as an
antidote to Mr Menon’s optimism of the will.
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid (Telegraph
December 11) threw in his rupee’s worth by reminding us of
China’s presence in India’s neighbourhood, and the need to
adjust to the reality that India and China were now partners of a sort, maybe - since some partners, according to Beijing’s
diplomatic code, are more equal than others.
Which is what breeds in many Indian minds an abiding suspicion of China’s unfriendly (to put it mildly) neighbourhood
activities such as nuclear weapon itself, as it happens, in May
1990. Any serious nation’s foreign policy must surely be the
sum of its parts – which requires that military chiefs also contribute to the decision making process. They are not here to
play watchmen responding to a burglar alarm. Time to get real,
Gentlemen!

Fitting riposte
Most encouraging was retired
Admiral Sushil Kumar’s blistering edi-page riposte in The
Times of India (December 10).
Entitled “Don’t Be On The Back
Foot”, it carried the following
strap-line: “Those who seek to
dilute navy chief Joshi’s message
don’t really understand sea

ty complex does not lie only
across the McMahon Line but
extends even to India’s dimension Soldiering, flying and sailing the high seas are a part of a
demanding profession. At the
highest levels, they require considerable technical knowledge
and intellectual discipline, not
to speak of abundant reserves of
courage. Filing clerks follow a
more predictable routine, are
more comfortable with clichés
and shibboleths.

Indo-Russian
naval exercises

Admiral (retd) Sushil Kumar

power.” Put simply, their intellectual reach falls short of their
grasp. Grievously so, it would
appear.
“The admiral’s message,”
explained the author, merely
conveyed the classical role of
any navy such as ours which has
a blue water capability. It is universally known that navies are
meant to swiftly deploy operate
in any oceanic area where the
interests of a nation require it do
so…..did not the media get it
right when it linked the navy
chief’s message to China’s
aggressive maritime posture?
Rather than fault the media, we
need to seriously introspect on
India’s timidity. Why do we
always remain on the back foot
when
dealing
with
China?.....What this recent incident shows is that our inferiori-

India and Russia have concluded a two-day naval exercises,
code-named INDRA, off the
coast of Mumbai. This followed
earlier exercises between their
Armies on the China-Mongolian
border. Meanwhile, Russia has
delivered the first two of the
promised six MiG 29 upgrades
to India. New avionics and
increased firepower and mid-air
refuelling capability will increase
the shelf-life of the aircraft by 40
years. The remaining 57
upgrades ware to be carried out
in India.
And while on the subject of
acquisitions, Bharat Electrical
Ltd (BEL) has signed a lucrative
deal with its Israeli counterpart
for the joint production of missiles for India’s warships (Hindu
December 11).

Ukraine calling
Ukrainian President Viktor
Yanukovitch was in India for a
4-day visit. Before leaving Kiev,
he told a reporter that “It’s time
to end the drift in Ukraine’s ties
with India.” He said: “My current visit to India, the first by a
Ukraine head of state in 10

years, is designed to give a new
impetus to our relations after a
period of drift under the previous Ukraine administration. I
hope for significant intensification of our economic ties and
political contacts at the highest
level.”
The “drift” alluded to by
President Yanukovitch was the
“colour revolution” in the country instigated and funded by the
US and its allies, which ended in
mayhem and chaos, as the two
Western surrogates, President
Yushcenko and Prime Minister
YuliaTymoshenko, fought each
other to a standstill.
A broad defence agreement
was one of five pacts signed in
New Delhi following delegationlevel
talks
between
the
Ukrainian President and Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh.
With 30 per cent of the former
Soviet Union’s military industrial complex located in Ukraine,
the advantages for both sides are
self-evident. More so, as
Ukraine’s defence enterprises
have been rationalized and contracts agree no longer hazardous
undertakings with far-flung
units.

New course charted
Ukraine is already modernizing
India’s 100-plus fleet of military
transport aircraft and has provided India with engines for its
naval ships. As with Russia,
India hopes construct a relationship with Ukraine from buyerseller to joint producers. With
Ukraine strong in aviation,
space, metallurgy, shipbuilding,
engineering, chemistry and
infrastructure, closer interaction
with India is indeed bright
(Hindu December 10,11).

Silver lining
The sun appears to be breaking
through the clouds at last. After
weeks and months of gloom on
the economic front, Industrial
growth bounced back to 8.2 per
cent in October and an upbeat
Finance Minister Chidambaram
detecting the first green shoots
of economic recovery.
A surge in manufacturing
output pushed industrial production to a 16 month high.
Economists, however, advised
caution as the high growth was
based on a low base effect and
strong demand.
Mr Chidambaram was circumspect, saying “one swallow
doesn’t make a summer. But let

us see how we go forward in the
in the next four months.
Investments are taking place,
capacity is being created and
consumption is happening in
consumer du rables and nondurables,” he said.
The capital goods output
also
showed
remarkable
improvement, up 7.5 per cent in
October, as against a massive
contraction of 26 per cent in
October
2011.
((Hindu
December 13)

Priority projects
In a bid to remove mega project
bottlenecks,the government has
set up a Cabinet Committee on
Investment (CCI) headed by
Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh, as a single window for
clearances worth Rs 1,000 crore
each, there being at present 100
such projects in the pipeline
awaiting approval. The scheme
was first mooted by Finance
Minister P. Chidambaram several years ago but this was shot
down by some of his colleagues

on the ground that only large
firms would be the beneficiaries.
It was different time, for nothing
is as strong as an idea whose
time has come.
President of the Federation
of the Indian Chambers of
Commerce and Industry ((Ficci)
R.V. Kanoria welcomed the decision, saying “this will also give a
strong signal to investors that
the government wished to expedite projects.”
Mr Chidambaram explained:
“Our problem is not conceptualizing projects. Our problem lies
in getting numerous clearances
and getting the project off the
ground within a reasonable
time.” (Hindu December 14)

US intelligence
projection 2030
Scarcely believable in the context of the routine mayhem in
Parliament caused by elected
legislators lacking all understanding of the dignity of their
calling and of the institution
they are privileged to represent:
the US intelligence community
in a report recently released
projects a surging India and a
decelerating China astride global
commerce as movers and shakers of the world economy.
India and China were not in
step now, the latter significantly
ahead in economic development.
But come 2015 and beyond, an
accelerating India would reduce
the gap and take the lead from
2030. The two nations hereon
will dominate Asia, which “will
be well on its way to returning to
being the world’s powerhouse,
just as it was before 1500,” says
Global Trends 2030: Alternative
Worlds.
(Times of India December 11)

Silent
Sitar

Pandit Ravi Shankar

The Sitar is silent. Pandit Ravi
Shankar, whose mastery of his
instrument earned him a global
following, died, aged 92, at his
home in California. How the
West was won by music Indian classical music alien to
most Western ears was a theme
he made his own. His association with Yehudi Menuhin and
George Harrison was a trans-

Ravi Shankar with
Yehudi Menuhin

Ravi Shankar with George Harrison

formative trans-continental
experience to be enjoyed in the
great concert halls of Europe
and America. Through all the
acclaim that came his way, he
remained true to the classical
Indian tradition in which he
was reared.
Together with his older
brother, Uday Shankar, the
maestro of Indian dance, who
first enthralled Western audiences in the 1930s, Ravi
Shankar
incarnated
the
Epiphany of India’s soft power.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 22nd December 2012

Political Sketchbook

www.PoliticalAnimal.me

Alpesh Patel’s

The Politics of Immigration
and Allegiance
Speaking truth to power is what Indians
like Gandhji and the Sardar were good
at. Taking their inspiration, when asked
this past week by UK Government officials for input on British visa policy, I
said, ‘there are 2.5% people of Indian
origin in the UK. Over the past 40 years
they have been probably the greatest
net contributors per capita to the
Government’s coffers – more so than
even the native population per capita.
You’re in a recession, looking for growth.
Have you thought about doubling the
number of Indians here? We have over
40 years proven track-record that Indian
migration self-selects risk-takers and the
successful. In fact, under current migration rules, probably 80% of the Asian
Rich List would not qualify today.’
This is timely, because also last week
Lord Popat initiated a Debate in the
House of Lords that Parliament ‘takes
note of the contribution made by the
Ugandan Asian community in the United
Kingdom on the occasion of the 40th
anniversary of their expulsion from
Uganda.’
I don’t like the term Asian. We mean
Indian. Consider not just the loss to
Uganda – history proves that, but also to
India, who said of the 60,000 Ugandans
they were not India’s responsibility.
Today those 60,000 generate per capita
more GDP than the nation of India.
The debate today about immigration
may not be in the terms Powell framed it
in the 70s. But make no mistake – and
make it clear – Indians add net value to
whichever country they go. Throughout
history, everywhere, this has been true
of Indians.
So when your country is in a hole,
like a recession, of your own making,
you want to get out of that hole – you
better call for special forces – and they
better be, need to be, Indian. History,
data, the census, office of national statistics all prove it. Time and again. We

punch above our weight. You shoot
yourself in the foot, as the Ugandans
did, in not recognising it. As Lord Popat
said in his speech, ‘[We] make up 2.5%
of the population, but account for 10%
of our national output….But we are also
fiercely patriotic. We believe in Britain, in
its values, its traditions.’
This is timely also because this past
week Lord Ahmed asked in the House of
Lords, ‘To ask Her Majesty's Government
whether they have raised with the
Government of India the issue of ratification by India of the United Nations
Convention against Torture and its
optional protocols, and the proposal for
a visit of the United Nations Special
Rapporteur on Torture to India, including Kashmir.’
This worries me because in the first
public speech in two years, the Head of
MI5, Britain’s domestic intelligence and
security service, said earlier this year, ‘in
the past about 75% of counter-terrorist
casework was linked in some way to
Pakistan or Afghanistan. That had now
been reduced to below 50%’.
Bringing up Kashmir, in the manner
Lord Ahmed does, is clear where his allegiances lie. Is it co-incidence, that the
question on Kashmir was answered by
Baroness Warsi in Parliament? The
Baroness who has previously said on the
issue of Kashmir, ‘I know the people of
Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir have
great expectations from me, my party
and coalition government…regarding
dispute of Kashmir.’
My point is not about Kashmir. India
can look after herself. Britain’s Foreign
Office is well aware of where her
Parliamentarian’s allegiances truly lie.
But my point is - it is one thing to limit
all immigration, including Indian immigration to the UK, it is quite another then
to attack Indians, from Britain, who have
done so much for Britain. And that is
speaking truth to power.

April 2013 Legal Aid Cuts for Divorce,
Cohabitees & Children Matters are just
around the corner
By Savita Sharma
Solicitor &
Director
At this time of year,
many of us will
look to the future
and
consider
changes in our personal lives which
affect our families.
The Legal Aid,
Sentencing and Punishment of
Offenders Act 2012 which comes into
force on the 1st April 2013 means the
end of legal aid for many, if not all family cases; in particular those relating to
residence of children (or “custody”),
contact arrangements and prohibited
Steps Orders (to protect a child being
removed from the care and control of
their primary carer or out of the jurisdiction). Legal aid will also cease for
cases relating to family finances which
inevitably need to be resolved when
parties separate, such as those relating
to the former matrimonial home, others
assets within the marriage including
Pensions and also Properties/Assets
owned between cohabiting partners.
Legal aid will still be available if the
person is deemed a victim of “domestic
abuse” However, falling within the
Government’s definition of this will not
be easy. Justice is for all of us in society and it is essential that the public can
avail themselves of legal services if the
need arises in family and children
cases. So what is “domestic abuse” and
how do you prove it? From just physical abuse, the definition includes emotional abuse, financial abuse, coercion
or control and or the isolation of a victim from family and friends. Therefore
acts such as preventing partners from
leaving the house or access to a phone
or psychological cruelty are now
included. It has been well documented
that victims of domestic violence often
do not come forward to prosecute their
perpetrators for a number reasons. As

such, obtaining evidence of convictions
or Injunctions may be difficult. Just
because you do not have this does not
mean the domestic abuse did not happen.
For victims to fall within the exemption of the domestic violence, they will
have to show a conviction or a caution
against the perpetrator. Also a fact finding in a civil matter will suffice. If that
is not available, they will have to show
evidence from a doctor or a medical
report confirming that the doctor had
examined the victim in the last 24
months and is satisfied that the victim
has had injuries or a condition consistent “with those of a victim of domestic
violence” Letters from health professionals involved with the victim or from
domestic violence support organisations may also be relied upon.
However, there is a real issue for those
people who do not fall within this
exemption but have limited financial
resources to pay for legal advice. They
will simply be no legal aid available to
deal with applications in respect of children and financial applications after
April 2013.
We at Duncan Lewis have always
maintained that legal services should
be available to everyone in society, not
only for those who can afford to pay.
We are avid supporters of Legal Aid and
our work with the Legal Services
Commission has helped us to be proactive in assisting all clients. Our Family
and Child Care Department has 85
staff, spread over 7 offices across
London who specialise in this type of
work. Most if not all the solicitors are
accredited Panel members of either The
Law Society or Resolution. We have the
expertise to help and it is very important for those who may be considering
separation, or are separating and
believe that they may be eligible for
legal aid that they seek advice very
quickly so assistance can be provided
to secure legal aid before the 31st
March 2013.

Offices across London
l City of London
l Hackney
l Lewisham
l Southall

Path to Success
In January 2012, London
based charity Path to
Success decided to celebrate Her Majesty The
Queen’s many years of
service by contributing in
the lead up to this momentous year by running a
campaign in her honour.
Their flagship campaign
“60 for 60” Wheelchair
Appeal was to provide 60
wheelchairs for 60 NHS
hospitals in England. They
joined forces with Miriam
Gonzalez Durántez, Chief
Patron, and spearheaded
by
founder
Anita
Choudhrie whose vast
experience of the charity
world led her to extend

Success said: “We are
aware of the great work
that the NHS is doing for
patients’ requirements and
we wanted to collaborate
with the Hospitals and
help some of the patients
by providing the wheelchairs. Our philosophy is
to help those who are so
keen to turn their inability
into ability. We hope the
growth of Path to Success
will help achieve a change
in the destiny of a targeted

society or a single individual.”
Through the year Path
to Success held 4 Regional
Events in England to hand
over 83 wheelchairs. On
6th December 2012, Path
to Success celebrated their
achievement in a reception at a London venue.
Amongst the supporters in
this event was Hon
Norman Lamb, Care
Minister, who presented
the last wheelchair to

Ealing
Hospital’s
Children’s
ward
and
marked the 83rd wheelchair donated by the charity. Most of the wheelchairs, donated are specialized and have supported individuals under
health threatening situations. The individuals are
able to manoeuvre their
lives with a little more
purpose and independence.
Continued on page 30

Camden town has its own charm.
A bit of rock and roll, a bit of street
fashion, a bit of merry making- a
perfect place to chill out.
Obviously that includes a little bit
of indulging in fanciful food and
Indian curry obviously leads the
choice.
Stone throw away from
Camden Town station, Namaaste
Kitchen, a unique discovery of
Chef Patron Sabbir Karim is a
modern Indian bar and grill that
specialises in contemporary and
healthy Indian cooking. The
restaurant boasts of a certain style
and class, ambience and hospitality
and serves the most authentic
Pakistani and Indian food especially grills prepared fresh in the full
view of the audience.
Besides grills, the restaurant
makes one of the best curries,
parathas and most authentic biryanis you can find in the heart of

Ratings
Taste
Ambience
Location
Service
Decor

:
:
:
:
:

*****
*****
*****
*****
****

London. If you have any special
dietary requirements, Namaaste
Kitchen caters to your special
needs as well including a gluten
free menu. There are seldom any
restaurant in central London that
spoils its customer with such variety and choice. Every month this
restaurant offers its guests a menu
that is especially drawn from a different regions of India. It could be
Kerala or Goa or somewhere else,
as a part of its Regional Food
Festival.
Namaaste Kitchen has received
a series of awards over the years
since opening, including in the
recent Asian Curry Awards. The
restaurant may appear small at the
entrance, but once you are inside,
you have a spread with brilliant
cream, dark wood work and soft
lighting. Though always very busy
the staff is extremely attentive and
the service is one of the best experienced so far.
With the spicing as diverse as it
can get, dishes- whether its okra
with mango, and baby aubergines
flecked with sesame, mustard and

curry leaves or elegant and subtle
tasting malai tikka (chicken marinated in cream cheese and homemade yoghurt) or fiery laal maas
(lamb with roast red chillies) from
Rajasthan always sings with a mesmerising freshness.
With a long wine and a good
beer list, the desserts served are a
perfect blend of the East and the
West. If you are looking to have
good time, Namaaste Kitchen is
the right place to dine for a tasty,
modern, well within budget meal in
the heart of London.

If you are a reader of Asian
Voice, cut this original
voucher along the dotted line,
show it at the restaurant and
get £10 off per table
(dining minimum two).
Offer valid till March 31, 2013.
Address: Namaaste Kitchen
64 Parkway,
Camden/Primrose Hill,
London NW1 7AH.
Tel: 020 7485 5977
020 7284 0222

Competition
Answer the following simple question and win a FREE meal worth £50 at
Namaaste Kitchen
Q: What is the name of the Chef Patron of Nammste Kitchen?
a. Karim Ahmed

b. Sabbir Karim

c. Sabbir Ahmed

Please email your correct answer to aveditorial@abplgroup.com by January 21st 2013.
The winner will be chosen on a lottery basis from the correct entries.
For more details on the restaurant or to book see http://www.namaastekitchen.co.uk.

A glittering gala of the good and the great
rani Singh

confidently and easily,
standing out in his
The list of attendees at the
own-design jacket and
2012 Asian Who’s Who
scarf suit, thanking all
awards ceremony and prehis supporters rather
sentations read like an Asian
than himself and using
Who’s Who. From successful
a quote he chose just a
business magnates to peers,
few minutes earlier.
the distinguished audience
Lord Raj Loomba
invited by host and organizpresented the Asian
er Jasbir Sachar to the
Leadership
in
Dorchester Hotel Monday
Community Service
10 December listened for the
award to Dr Ashraf
most part attentively as DJ
Chohan, a Pakistani
Tony Patti introduced and
orthopedic surgeon.
chaired the proceedings conAfter that, Rajesh
fidently and seriously, withAgarwal presented the
out attempting any wiseAsian Leadership in
cracks. 2012 is the Silver DVK Group Chairman Deepak Kuntawala (centre) with the Young Entrepreneur award Banking award to Sanjay
Jubilee anniversary of the
Newatia,
Managing
trading family with roots in
Enoch Powell. Lord Dholakia
Asian Who’s Who as it celeDirector
and
Investment
Partner
Africa and founded DVK, which
quoted one of the latter’s
brates 25 years. Mr Sachar’s late
at
Credit
Suisse
AG.
The
Asian
is a leading international comspeeches.
wife and the event and directoLeadership
in
International
modity trading and boutique
Lord Dholakia was on the
ry’s co-founder, Kanwaljit, was
Business award was presented to
finance organization based in
advisory selection panel which
remembered both in the proNamita Kapoor, who became
the Gherkin, in 2001. He has led
also included Lord Karan
gramme and on stage.
CEO of the IVS Group Ltd after
it to phenomenal growth and
Bilimoria, CBE, DL, Lord Raj
The opening keynote speech
joining
it in 2011.
rapid expansion. Deepak spoke
Loomba, CBE, Mr Nazmu
by Lord Navnit Dholakia, PC,
The
final award of the
Virani, Mr Surinder Mongia, Mr
OBE, DL, Deputy Leader of the
G. S. Gujral, CBE, and Joginder
Liberal Democrats, was the most
Pal Sangar.
impressive of the evening. It
Mr Gujral, who was Asian of
appeared, as always, impromptu,
the Year in 2001, sat noticeably
but was rich in content and
quietly, demure and dignified
quotes. Lord Dholakia is rare in
through the proceedings, not
that he doesn’t even use notes;
seeking attention, recognized by
he keeps entire speeches in his
all, and watchful. On the rare
head. He talked about how Mr
occasion when he did stand up
Sachar had dreamt of the contrihe was noticeable for his height
bution an Asian Who’s Who
and smart turban.
could make right from the early
After the drinks reception
60s and that the 25th anniverand the starter course the prizes
sary was a great opportunity for
were awarded; first off, DVK
celebration. He also spoke of the
Group
Chairman
Deepak
economic and social contribuKuntawala was given the Asian
tion that South Asians have
Leadership
as
Young
made to Britain confounding the
Entrepreneur award by Lord
negative images that were someKaran Bilimoria, one of his
Lord Navnit Dholakia with DJ Tony Patti
times projected by people like
heroes. Deepak is from a historic

evening was the Asian of the
Year Award which went to Ravi
Gidar,
the
Founder
and
Managing Director of Gold Care
Homes for the elderly. It was
presented by Joginder Pal
Sangar.
Everyone at the event loudly
praised Mr Jasbir Sachar for his
work, but Mr Sachar was humble, going round to all the tables
to make sure that guests were
happy and comfortable. The
entertainment on stage of dancing and music was enjoyed by
all; especially the glamorous
costumes and dhol drumming.
Towards the finale, Mr
Sachar invited all previous
recipients of the Asian of the
Year award up on stage for the
media and the audience to
appreciate. It was a roll call of
the good and the great; Lord
Dholakia, Lord Swraj Paul,
Gurdip Gujral, an historic line
up with some noteworthy individuals of a senior age.
And among the audience,
was the world’s oldest marathon
runner, Fauja Singh, a sprightly
102 years old. He leapt up, invited onto the platform, and spoke
energetically to the audience in
his native Punjabi. Also present
this evening was filmmaker
Gurinder Chadha.
The event was well attended
by young and old and lots of ethnic media but for this reporter
present there was a touch of
nostalgia because seeing so
many of a senior generation all
together in one room was historic and unusual. May all who
were there go on to enjoy continued success and good health
for many years to come.

UK

Asian Voice - Saturday 22nd December 2012

15

If you have any particular topics you would
like covered on my page, please let me know.

tanveer Mann

It’s CHRIstMAs!!
Here are five quick ways to save a little
cash during Christmas:

MusIc

1. Share the Christmas cooking.
Christmas is about spending time
with family so why not turn family bonding into a budgeting
bonus by getting everyone to contribute their favourite Christmas
dish? It’ll save a lot of money and
it is enjoyable!
2. Limit your Christmas Parties.
Christmas parties take place
every other day in the month of
December so costs can quickly
add up. So try to be more selective about the functions you
attend and avoid some of the
stress as well as the cost.
3. Streamline your stocking
fillers. Fill up stockings with
homemade gifts like cookies and
chocolates. That way you can cut
down on expensive gadgets and
useless knick-knacks. Homemade

creative gifts are also
more special.
4.
Recycle your
wrapping
paper.
Every year we waste
around 100 square
kilometres of wrapping paper during
Christmas, according
to
CB
Environmental.
There are lots of
ways to reduce this
waste but one of the
simplest is to open
your presents carefully and keep your wrapping
paper for the next year.
5. Choose a tree with the future
in mind. Re-using an artificial
Christmas tree or decorating a living tree outside your house is cost

effective and could be more environmentally friendly than buying
a
real
tree
every
year.
Alternatively, buy a living tree
and keep it in a pot in the garden
– that way you can bring it
indoors every year!

special Performance by Roach
Killa, rocks the stage!
Due to heavy public demand, the producers of
GiMA (Global Indian Music Academy) ‘the equivalent of the US Grammy’s’ have released a very
special performance by Roach Killa from this
year’s awards ceremony, that took place at the
Yash Raj Film Studio in Mumbai a few weeks
ago.
Roach Killa’s DEBUT performance in India
truly made a large impact and ignited a spark of
interest for this extremely talented artist. The
songs ‘Din Raat’ and ‘Oh Girl’ were given an
extra Punjabi / Bhangra flavour for this special
performance. Since the initial airing of the
awards across the globe by STAR TV, the
youtube hits have exceeded two million.
This music video is a special release by GiMA
to highlight the exceptional talent
that occasionally graces the stage.There is

no doubt that in December 2012 Roach Killa is
the most in demand Asian Urban act in the
music industry. The string of hits delivered by
this artist has been exceptional. January 2013
Roach, again will be travelling to India to shoot
his forthcoming video due for release in
February 2013. Expect ‘something groundbreaking’!

RAPID FIRE INTERVIEW
Chandni Priya is a human resources professional turned founder of “Indiaah” which
educates children about India and its rich
culture and heritage. Having worked in corporate houses like Accenture and Infosys
Technologies in the past, Chandni has now
ventured into training kids. Her time in different parts of India evoked a passion to
explore and appreciate the country’s varied culture
and she is now keen to share her
knowledge with the younger
generation here in London.
1.How did the idea for
“Indiaah” come about?
Indiaah was conceptualized
after looking at the growing urge
in parents in getting their children acquainted with India.
During my interactions with a
lot of parents who have settled
abroad, I got this unanimous
concern about the lack of
forums where their kids can
experience the Indian culture.
This led to the inception of
“Indiaah”, where children can learn about India’s
culture, heritage, festivals, geography, etc. while
learning to read, write and speak in Hindi.
2. How is “Indiaah” different from other Hindi
Classes? What is your teaching methodology?
We understand that learning a second language
can be difficult. Therefore in order to make the
learning process effective, we have included a lot of
fun, art & craft, and activities that kids enjoy in a

group. We use text books, flashcards,
games, pictures and audio visual modes of
learning, all aimed at making the sessions
more productive.
3. How will the classes be run?
The entire course is for one year, which has
been broken down into 4 terms of 3 months each.
Learning will progress with each passing term.
Focus will be given towards reading, writing and
speaking in Hindi. As per the
current schedule, classes will
be held at two locations. One
at the Harrow Arts Centre
(HA5 4EA) and another in
Burrells Wharf Function Room
(E14 3TW). These are weekly
classes of one hour, generally
conducted during weekends or
after school hours. Please visit
our website to know the exact
schedule of the classes. The
groups are split into two:
Group I: 2.5 yrs up to 5 yrs and
Group II: 5 yrs - 12 yrs.
4. Do you think it is important
for kids of today’s generation to learn to read,
write and speak Hindi?
Research proves that children who learn a second language have superior reading, writing, analytical and social skills, as well as more extensive
vocabularies than their monolingual peers. Apart
from enhancing a child’s cognitive abilities, learning Hindi will also give children an advantage in
our increasingly global marketplace. More impor-

www.punjabeeblonde.wordpress.com
tanveer.mann@abplgroup.com

HEALTH
YOU ARE WHAT
YOU EAT…
With Christmas around the corner, and a break
from work, you tend to get lazy and want to
indulge in some quick and tasty fast food, as a
‘reward’ for all the hard work you have done. Yet
more than a reward, the food you are eating is really just catalyst to the grave. After Business Insider
released an article on Monday (17th) titled “11
Amazing Facts about the McDonald’s Rib”, I was
left in utter shock; I had to share my disgust.
Eating artificially enhanced products, and low
quality cheap food has become the norm in this day
and age but have you ever
stopped to question
what exactly you are
eating? Evidently,
the mass amounts
of obesity in the U.S.
should be a wake up
call to pose the question, but people refuse to face
the facts.
SO here they are again, placed in front of you,
in yet another attempt to get across the dangers of
eating fast food.
1) Fast Food is nothing but a concoction of harmful and health-damaging chemicals, which is why
the makers can afford to sell things like burgers at
such low prices.
2) McDonald’s beef and chicken contain ‘pink
slime’ scrap meat covered with ammonium hydroxide. This fake meat provides no nutritional value
and is chemically contaminated from ammonia, the
toxic cleaning agent found under the sink.
3) The meat they use is actually fat trimmings and
connective tissue that are separated from the bone
– scrap meat that is not fit for human consumption.
4) McDonald’s McNuggets contain 7 different
ingredients making up the ‘meat’, many of which
contain sub-ingredients. Instead of using real meat,
the ingredient list utilizes sodium phosphate, safflower oil, wheat starch, dextrose, and autolyzed
yeast extract – a particularly dangerous substance
very similar to the toxic MSG
5) The meat taken from cattle is usually cut by a
streamline of workers at such a vast speed that
often they cut the wrong part of the animal such as
the bowels, which can cause a mixing of the food
with the animals waste, and are then sold to
restaurants.
These are only a few of a large number of startling facts about Fast Food. For more information,
visit www.naturalsociety.com.
tantly, by experiencing
their culture and language
first hand, they will be
more confident about their Indian roots. Therefore,
I strongly believe that learning Hindi will help in
opening up more avenues for kids in today’s generation.
5. Where do you hope to see Indiaah in the next
ten years?
In the next ten years I would like to see Indiaah
as the “go-to” place for learning Hindi and for gaining cultural awareness about India. In the coming
years I plan to build a community of not only kids
but also their parents so that each area has its own
Indian hub where kids get an opportunity to experience their culture with active involvement of parents.
Visit: http://indiaah.wix.com/indiaah for more
information about the classes

Ha Ha.....
He He.... :P
I say no to alcohol, it just doesn’t listen.
A magician was driving down the road
-- then he turned into a drive way.
Nostalgia ain't what it used to be.

16

Asian Voice - Saturday 22nd December 2012

Premji & Lakshmi Rai
are pairing up again
The Ballelaka hit couple Premji and Lakshmi Rai are
pairing up again for a song from the upcoming comedy movie "Onbadhula Guru" starring Vinay, Anjali and
Lakshmi Rai in leading roles. The pleasant surprise in
the movie is that Jiiva will be appearing for a short
while in a cameo role. This song, which was composed
by K, is supposedly going to be a smash hit with the
youth of our generation, say sources. The song takes
place in a pub with Vinay and Aravind dancing along
too. The shooting of the song went more than well and
we look forward to see Premji and Lakshmi Rai bring
the house down with their antics in the new song!

Rajnikanth turns 62

Tamil cinema icon Rajnikanth, idolised by millions, turned
62 on 12-12-12. Actor-director Raghavendra Lawrence
and music director Vijay Antony have come out with a
special musical video dedicated to Rajnikanth, even as TV
channels aired a series of programmes on him, including
airing some of his biggest hits. Radio FM channels were
not far behind in celebrating his birthday. Born Shivaji Rao
Gaekwad, he transformed his simple life from a bus conductor in Bangalore to a much followed superstar a decade
later, with a larger than life style and mannerisms in his
films. Discovered by celebrated director K Balachander, a
recipient of Dadasaheb Phalke Award, and cast along
another top star of Indian cinema Kamal Hassan in his
'Apoorva Raagangal' in the mid 70s, Rajnikanth shaped his
initial career with negative roles.

Asian Voice - Saturday 22nd December 2012

'Silambattam'
girl
Sana Khan is currently playing the
lead
role
in
a
Malayalam film titled
'Climax', which is said
to be a biopic on late
actress
'Silk'
Samantha. Directed
by Anil, the film is
scripted by Antony
Eastman, who directed
a movie titled 'Inaiyai
Thedi' which had 'Silk'
Smitha in the lead role.
It is said that 'Climax'
attempts to throw light
on the last days of the
popular actress and the
trauma she underwent
due to some people
around her. Says Antony,
"I have worked with many
actresses. Based on their
real life experiences, I
have penned the script of
“Climax.” Some portions
are based on the happenings in the life of Silk
Smitha."

Hot Garam masala
Manisha Koirala's
surgery successful
Actress Manisha Koirala, who was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer, underwent a successful
surgery in New York. "Manisha underwent a surgery
on Monday at around 9 am. I got a message from her
family members and they said it was a successful surgery," said a source. "Manisha's mother, father and
her brother are by her side. One of her close friends
is also there with her," the source added. Manisha
was admitted to the Jaslok Hospital Nov 28 after she
reportedly fell unconscious. However, the reason
behind her illness was not made clear. Later it was
reported that she was flying to the US for treatment
for cancer.

Shotgun keen on film
with Big B
Shatrughan Sinha, fondly known as Shotgun, is
keen on doing a film with Amitabh Bachchan. The
two are said to have discussed various possibilities
of coming together, and a project is now being
designed for them. "We haven't worked together
since 'Shaan' and 'Kaala Patthar'. It would be really
nice to work with him again. He's a good actor and
a fine human being," said Shatrughan. "After my
heart surgery, (one of) my first social outing was to
his 70th birthday party. I told him I wouldn't have
stepped out to such a crowded gathering for anyone
else. I broke my golden health rule for a golden
human being," he added.

Hema Malini selected for
Bharat Muni Samman

Renowned film actress and Bharatanatyam exponent
Hema Malini has been selected for the prestigious
Bharat Muni Samman this year for outstanding contribution to the field of art and culture. Named after
the author of Natyashastra Bharat Muni, the award
has been instituted by Bhubaneswar-based organisation Kalingayana Touryatrikam. The award is to be
presented to Hema Malini for her contribution
towards promotion of Indian arts and entertainment
on December 18, the concluding day of the three-day
Bharat Muni Festival, said a release from
Kalingayana Touryatrikam. Mema Malini, 64, will be
the fifth recipient of the award. The earlier recipients
are Thankamani Kutty, Pandit Birju Maharaj, Pandit
Jasraj and Ratan Thiyam.

Bipasha, Malaika,
Shaan, Atif Aslam
& Bolly Flex at
Flex FX fete

Sana Khan to reveal
'Silk' secrets

Flex FX celebrates the 10th year anniversary
in spectacular fashion with a new musical
dance extravaganza and bring you
Bollywood like you’ve never seen it before.
Bollywood Showstoppers takes place on
‘The O2’ on 7th April and the ‘LG Arena’ on
5th April. The Showstoppers include
Bollywood icon Bipasa Basu, the dancing
queen Malaika Arora Khan, sensational
Shaan and the rockstar return of Atif Aslam.
All performing live and exclusive, supported
by the UK’s most popular Bollywood dancers
Bolly Flex led by the pioneer Naz Choudhury
& classical dance sensation Leena Patel.
Executive Producer Jaspal Bahra said,
“it is a great concept and it has been many
years since Bollywood stars performed in
the UK. Naz Choudhury, producer/Artistic
Director added, “This project is a huge honour for me and all of us in Flex FX and I’m
really looking forward to.” Sale of tickets will
start on Friday, 14th December at 9 am.
The cost of ticket starts from £ 20. Book the
tickets at the earliest so that you can get
the best seats in the house. Showstoppers
is your ticket to Bollywood. Join us on our
10th anniversary celebrations. The year
2013 will see the rise of the Flex FX industry. For more information visit www.flexfxproductions.com

Vidya Balan-Siddharth Roy
Kapur tie the knot
Bollywood actress
Vidya Balan tied the
knot with UTV
head
Siddharth
Roy Kapoor last
week in a ceremony which saw a mix
of both Punjabi and
Tamil
traditions.
The wedding rituals
went on for over an
hour at the well-decorated Green Mile
Bungalow in Bandra
in the presence of
family members of
the bride and groom.
"The wedding ceremony was a mix of
both Punjabi and
Tamil traditions. The
food served was South Indian," said a source
close to Vidya. The 34-year-old actress
underwent three changes in costume during
the wedding ceremony, one of them being a

mustard saree with a pink
blouse, matching the
groom's yellow kurta and
pink turban. The wedding
festivities for the couple
began on December 11
with a private dinner
which was followed by a
mehendi ceremony on
December 12. The couple will reportedly be
hosting a reception in
Chennai.
Vidya, who never
confirmed
rumours
about her relationship
with Siddharth, kept
mum about her wedding as well and the
celebrations are being
kept as private as possible.
The 'Kahaani' actress, who was born in
Kerala and grew up in Mumbai, made her
Bollywood debut with the 2005 film
'Parineeta'.

Ekta Kapoor to do 3-year course
at the Harvard university!
Producer of many television soaps and
film, Ekta Kapoor is now planning to
get back to school. Ekta confirms the
news saying, she has taken up a
Business Development course at the
Harvard University, for which she will
be flying to the US on May 3, next year.
She has taken up a three year course,
for which she will need to attend only 1
month every year. The actress is excited
about getting back to studying and says
in her absences her parents will take
care of Balaji Telefilms. On the other
hand, Ekta has two big releases next
year, Sanjay Gupta's “Shootout at
Wadala” which will be released on May
1 and Milan Luthria's “Once Upon a
time in Mumbaai 2” which will be
released on August 8.

Imaran Khan undergoes
intense training for Matru’s role
No wedding bells for
Kunal Kapoor now
Much has been written about Kunal
Kapoor's hush-hush relationship with
the Big B's niece Naina Bachchan. It
was during the shooting of Kunal's
last film “Luv Shuv Tey Chicken
Khurana,” that it was reported how
this Bachchan scion would visit the
sets to meet her beau. However, it
comes straight from the horse's
mouth that there are no wedding
bells for this couple in the near
future. Kunal comes clean on the
issue and states, “My relationship is
really in a very happy phase at the
moment. I am a very private person
and don't like to discuss my life. I
will announce my marriage as and
when I decide to get hitched. But it
is not happening in the near future.”

17

Hrithik Roshan will end 2012 on a high as the talented actor receives two further accolades to add
to his many reputable achievements. Hrithik has
confirmed his international star status as the
Bollywood celebrity chosen to front popular
manufacturer, Mattel’s ‘Hot Wheels’ toy cars.
The actor has already shot various commercials and endorsements for the brand
in Mumbai earlier this year. Hrithik
attempted to enter the Guinness Book of
World Records on 4th December 2012
when he attended the event in India in
conjunction with Hot Wheels to launch
the world’s largest vending machine.
Hot Wheels and Hrithik combined forces
to launch a 25 foot play station called
the ‘Hot Wheels Thrill Machine.’
Last week Hrithik attended the 12th
Marrakech International Film Festival in
Morocco, as 100 years of Indian cinema
was celebrated with viewings of classic
films. Hrithik and wife Sussanne walked
the red carpet at the opening ceremony on 30th November, as the film festival began with the biggest names in
Indian cinema, both past and present,
in attendance. Hrithik and Sussanne
also attended the ‘Tribute to Indian
Cin ema’ segment on 1st December.
Hrithik enters 2013 for another blockbuster year. He will start the year filming
Fox Star Studio’s Indian remake of the
Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz starrer
“Knight and Day” with leading lady
Katrina Kaif this Spring. The year will
culminate with the release of his home
production, “Krrish 3” also.
Bollywood’s poster boy Imran Khan has certainly toughened up his image lately and is almost unrecognisable as
the rugged hero figure in director Vishal Bhardwaj’s
forthcoming rustic North Indian film “Matru Ki Bijlee
Ka Mandola,” which is released through Twentieth
Century Fox on 11th January 2013. Acclaimed director
Vishal Bhardwaj (Omkara, Maqbool) requested Imran
to completely get into the skin of his character ‘Matru’
by immersing himself in the Haryana way of life.
The actor spent a month, dedicating five hours every
day with five ‘Jhat’ (a North Indian caste) boys from
Delhi to imbibe their language and mannerisms. The rigorous training schedule meant that Imran had to change
his body language and also learn the language of
Haryanvi for the role. So intense was his training that he
had to eat with the Jhat boys, go shopping with them,
and possibly the most daunting, he had to only speak
and respond in Haryanvi, not uttering a word of English
for a whole month.
Imran was mentored for the part by theatre maestro
NK Sharma, who runs the Delhi-based Act 1 Theatre
Group. After the month-long, intensive training session
was completed, and both Vishal Bhardwaj and NK
Sharma were convinced that Imran could pass for a true
native Haryanvi, did the young actor begin shooting for
the film. Set in the rustic surroundings of a village in
Haryana in India, “Matru ki Bijlee ka Mandola” is a comedy-drama about Harry Mandola (Pankaj Kapur), a
wealthy industrialist who loves his drink, his daughter
Bijlee (Anushka Sharma) and the unusual bond they both
share with Harry’s man-Friday, Matru (Imran Khan).

Sherlyn Chopra more desirable
than Kate Moss, Charlize Theron!
Sherlyn Chopra is sure going places. Soon
after reports of her debut film has generated immense curiosity among her fans,
there are reports that the Playboy cover
girl Sherlyn Chopra has bagged the 63rd
spot on the list of Top 99 Most Desirable
Women of 2013, in a poll
on the international
website AskMen.
Surpassing

names like Rachel Weisz, Tina Fey, Katie
Holmes, Kate Moss, Kim Kardashian,
Charlize Theron and India's
Bipasha Basu (who bagged
the 67th spot), Sherlyn went
several notches up. "Around
20 million readers are said
to have voted for this poll,
which makes it a list that
truly reflects who men
from all over the world
really celebrate," said
Sherlyn's publicist. Sherlyn
may also set foot at the
Cannes Film Festival, playing the female lead in
Rupesh Paul's international
motion
picture
“Kamasutra 3D.”

18

Asian Voice - Saturday 22nd December 2012

India lowers 2012-13 growth
forecast to 5.7 per cent

Dear Financial Voice Reader,
Some surprising facts for you to wonder about over
Christmas:
• Who would have thought that the best performer in
the FTSE 100 would be Lloyds in the past year. Up 80%.
• You would have known Aberdeen Asset
Management would be up there if you followed my
newsletter and blog – it is up 65% this year.
• Would you have bet RBS would be up 50% or that
Barclays would double in size? Well Barclays is a bad
example. They are still at 1996 price levels. Buying
Barclays shares is like being in a time machine.
• With High St bankruptcies would you have bet on
Next – now at £37 and up 35% this year. I remember
as a student buying some at 22p!
• Again if you looked at my blog during the year you
would not be surprised I have liked Babcock and
Wolseley this year – both up 32% so far.
• Diageo and advertising agency WPP I continue to
like into next year – also up 30%.
• Who stinks? BG Group is down 25%. Morrison’s
down 20%. And Anglo American and Tesco all down
over 15% this year. If they return next year to regain
the ground they lost this year you will make 20%
return. If they regain half that ground you are still up
10%. I could live with that.
• Vodafone annoys me. Charge me a fortune and
still stagger at 1998 levels. But I bet you any money
over the next two years it will at some point be up 20%
from today’s value. And when it is – sell it!
And so here is a strategy. Find the companies which
have been in the FTSE 100 for the past 10 years – so
we know they are survivors. Then see which have lost
more than 15% this year. Look to see if they have been
about 20% higher than today’s price at some point in
the past two years. Then work on the basis they will
recover that at some point in the next two year – else
you end up with a load of survivors anyway, but potentially make 20% on your money.
You know why people like property over shares.
Property is leveraged so makes returns quicker – except
at the start of a credit crunch. The same thing in shares
is to ask your broker for a margin account – so if the
above shares do that you make 40% say instead.
But beware – you could end up with holding sometime, like with property, in negative equity. But at least
Vodafone pays a dividend.

Tata Sons appoints Cyrus Mistry
as chairman from Dec 28
Tata Sons, the holding
company of the over USD
100 billion salt-to-software
conglomerate, on Tuesday
formally announced the
appointment of Cyrus P
Mistry as its chairman
from December 28, when
incumbent Ratan N Tata
retires from the group.
Tata will be the honorary Chairman Emeritus
of the group. "The Board of
Directors of Tata Sons
announced the appointment of Cyrus P Mistry as
the Chairman of the Board
after Ratan N Tata retires on
December 28, 2012," Tata
Sons said in a statement.
The Board has decided
to confer on Tata the honorary title of Chairman
Emeritus, it added. Mistry,
44, was chosen as Tata's
successor in November last
year and was appointed
Deputy Chairman of Tata
Sons, whose board he had
entered in 2006. Mistry
belongs to the Shapoorji
Pallonji & Co, a leading
construction firm. His family is the single largest
shareholder in Tata Sons
with 18 per cent stake.
Earlier this month,
Tata Motors had appointed Mistry as its chairman
with effect from December

Cyrus Mistry

28 after retirement of
group chief Tata. Mistry
has also been appointed as
the Chairman of Tata Steel
and Tata Chemicals.
Last month, Tata had
stepped down as chairman
of Tata Global Beverages,
making way for successor
Mistry, who was also
inducted into the board of
Indian Hotels Company.
Tata Consultancy Services
had inducted him as
Deputy Chairman.
Tata Sons is the promoter of the major operating Tata companies and
holds significant shareholdings in these firms. About
66 per cent of the equity
capital of Tata Sons is held
by philanthropic trusts
endowed by members of
the Tata family. It owns the
Tata name and several Tata
trademarks, which are registered in India and around
the world.

The Indian government on
day lowered the economy's
growth forecast for the current financial year to 5.7
per cent, down sharply
from an earlier projection
of 7.6 per cent announced
in March, owing to
unfavourable global and
domestic conditions. In the
mid-year economic analysis tabled in Parliament,
the finance ministry, however, said it was on track to
meet the fiscal deficit target
of 5.3 per cent.
Growth has slumped in
recent quarters due to the
lingering uncertainties in the
global economy and domestic policy inaction. The country's gross domestic product
(GDP) has expanded by just
5.4 per cent in the first half of
2012-13. The finance ministry said in the report that
growth was likely to improve
in the second half the current
financial year and it would
remain between 5.7 and 5.9
per cent.

Submit your selfassessment on
time or face a fine
from the tax man

"It should be possible for
the economy to improve the
overall growth rate of GDP
to around 5.7 to 5.9 per cent
for the year 2012-13," the
report said. Addressing a
press conference, Chief
Economic
Advisor
Raghuram Rajan said the

current financial year. The
economy grew by 5.5 per
cent in the first quarter and
5.3 per cent in the second
quarter of 2012-13.
"This is not the growth
rate that we feel comfortable with," Rajan said.
In the report, the

Indian economy had bottomed out and the growth
was likely to improve in the
second half of 2012-13. He
said a series of reform measures taken by the government would help propel economic growth above 6 per
cent in the second half of the

finance ministry said the
slowdown were due to a
combination of domestic
and global economic conditions. "The slowdown in
growth
in
advanced
economies and near recessionary conditions prevailing in Europe resulted not

only in lower growth of
international trade but also
lower capital flows," it said.
Turning to domestic factors, rainfall in the monsoon season of 2012-13 has
been below normal, particularly in the key months of
June and July. This affected
sowing and resulted in a
lower growth rate of agriculture and allied sectors,
the report said.
High cost of borrowings due to the tight monetary policy of the Reserve
Bank of India has also
negatively affected the
economic growth. "The
cost of borrowing remains
at elevated levels and this
has had an impact on
investment and growth in
the economy, particularly
that of the industry sector," it said. "Bottlenecks
in project implementation
have made financing more
difficult and investors
more cautious," the ministry added.

Quality for
Community
Mayank S. Rawal, FCQI CQP

The cost of achieving Quality
ACCA (the Association of
Chartered
Certified
Accountants) said that
those who submits an
online self-assessment tax
return should make sure it
is completed and returned
to HMRC (Her Majesty’s
Revenue and Customs) by
the end of January or face
a £100 fine whether you
owe tax or not.
Chas Roy-Chowdhury,
ACCA head of taxation
said: “There is no escaping
the fact that if you do miss
the deadline, HMRC will
fine you. At a time when
money is tight for the
majority of people, the last
thing you need is to pay
for something that could
be easily avoided.
“HMRC will take seriously any errors in your
returns, so I would urge
anyone to make sure they
seek the help of a professionally qualified accountant. HMRC will apply a
£100 fine if you are just a
day late in submitting your
return, this applies whether
you owe tax or not.”
For more information on
self-assessment
tax
returns
visit:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/s
a/index.htm
For more information,
please contact:
Ray Allger, ACCA UK
Newsroom
+ 44 (0)20 7059 5788
+44 (0) 7540 919 819
Ray.allger@accaglobal.com

Fundamentally every time
a task towards organizing
a community event or a
community task in general is re-done, the total cost
increases. This could
include for example rewriting an event flyer, repurchasing material and
equipment of different
specification, re-doing the
monthly /yearly accounts,
time taken in decision
making. If a mistake is
made in ordering a product or service, it may need
to be re-ordered or
scrapped, and this causes
a failure cost.
It should be noted that
the satisfactory level of
service offered by your
community organization
is absolutely vital towards
maintaining, and increasing a membership base.
In essence the cost of
achieving a quality service
or product is the total of
costs incurred through the
following:
1) Cost of preventing deficiencies and poor quality of service being
offered to members
2) Cost of appraising the
service offered to members, and of products
purchased
by
the
organization.
3) Cost of failing to meet
the community organization’s
intended
requirements.
Typically these types
of costs would be classified as follows;
Cost of Prevention:
Costs incurred to prevent
poor quality of services

offered to your members.
Typical examples would
include member surveys,
market surveys of similar
events,
administrative
expenses, administrative
salaries, supplier reviews,
event progress reviews,
documentation checking,
team planning meetings,
safety equipment purchase
to prevent injury, training
courses for committee
members. The key objective of prevention costs is
to minimise both appraisal
and failure costs.
Cost of Appraisal:
Costs associated with
evaluating the service
being provided, and related to inspection of each
and every stage of event
preparation, inspection of
purchased goods upon
receipt, community hall
maintenance costs, repetitive checking of documentation / accounts, external
approvals and application
of licences for community
regulatory compliance.
Cost of Failure: Failure
costs can be classified into;
Internal; Costs associated
with deficiencies before
the event is delivered to
members, and External:
for deficiencies after the
event. Typical costs in
these categories would
relate to; cost of discarding
products, troubleshooting
of failed products, repair
and re-work of products,
and equipment, investigation costs, costs of additional tasks other than
those budgeted, complaint
investigations, lost/cancel-

lation of community hall
booking, warranty claims,
penalties/fines, loss of
members loyalty and
attendance at events, lost
opportunities for community event sales, reduction
of ticket prices, legal fees,
natural
environmental
incidents affecting community services, overtime
costs for paid workers,
inventory losses – difference between perceived,
and actual quantity of
community assets/goods.
A thorough analysis of
costs in each category will
help identify opportunities
for improvement, but normally these types of costs
are overlooked by community organizations for the
simple reason that common finance systems are
not designed to identify
them, so the overall strategic approach to each situation should be as follows;
1) For each deficiency or
failure cost, there is a
root cause.
2) Each cause should be
preventable and rooted
out.
3) Prevention is always
better than cure and
cheaper.
Determining the total
quality cost of your event
would be the sum of all categories above, and by efficient management of these
costs, and by eliminating
error’s/deficiencies before
they are identified, will
lead you to a successful
event first time, every time.
With best wishes for a
Quality festive season

FINANCIAL VOICE

Asian Voice - Saturday 22nd December 2012

19

Don’t expect the deal to work, instead learn to work the deal

Suresh Vagjiani
Sow & Reap
A Property Investment
Company

My attention was focused on the Allsops auction this coming Tuesday.
The reason: it's coming up to Christmas, and this is the time of year
when the property industry quietens down. People are busy getting
drunk and generally in holiday mood, so even if they're 'working' there’s
not much work being done.
Anything which keeps buyers preoccupied is a good thing, as it
serves to keep them away from the auction room. This is something I
saw during the auctions during the Queen's Jubilee and the Olympics.
An auction room which should be fully packed was half empty.
Consequently property which should have sold at top prices failed to do
so. These properties were sold later just after the auction for more
money.
It’s rare you get a deal on the plate, normally you need to work the
deal or take a view on incomplete information, often this comes from
having come across a similar scenario previously. When looking at auction properties at times the name of the seller is also mentioned, especially if it's a corporate body, such as a Housing Association or Fixed
Charge Receiver etc. When there’s a property being sold on the instructions of a receiver it means it has been repossessed from someone. A
mortgage company appoints a receiver to act on behalf of the borrower
– believe it or not – to obtain the most money from the property. Often
these properties are put into the auction, this way the sale is transparent and there is no chance brown envelopes have been passed by somebody to secure a sale.

Now, althou gh o f cou rse no o ne likes being repossessed, some people like to carry on
ho lding on to what the y have rather than accept the situ atio n and move forward .
For example, some people when they are about to be stripped of
their property, they start to work overtime and find various means of
holding on to their belongings. One of the ways they do this is to create a tenancy for a small amount, or simply not provide the details of
the tenant - in which case the auction house has to then sell the property as 'tenancy terms unknown'. The danger for the buyer is this means
you can have a sitting tenant; this can reduce the value of the property
to possibly half.
Previously we purchased a block of flats sold by the ex-husband of
a lady who lived in one of the flats in the block. The lady was managing the block and therefore had in her possession all the agreements,
the ex-husband did not. So the property was sold with unknown tenancies. However our enquires told us they were all AST’s though we
hadn't seen the paper work, and so we purchased managed to property
for about 65% of its true value.
A couple of receiver sales with unknown tenancies in the upcoming
Allsops auction jumped out at me, the first one was a flat in Mayfair, a
triplex consisting of 1500 Sq Ft and a long lease of 148 years in a
portered block.
The property is being sold on the instructions of receivers; the current owner is the 'tenant' paying zero rent. This look suspicious as it’s
a repossession with a rental of zero. It could be the former owner will
come back and purchase the property through another party at auction
as he will be able to terminate the tenancy, which no one else can do,
not as easily anyway. This will allow him to purchase the property for
potentially 50% of the value and resell the property at market price. He

The Real Deal
Christmas has come early
n We have secured a great BTL property in Westminster
n Purchase price of only £250,000
n This comes to only £577 per Sq Ft,
comparables are above £700 per Sq Ft on the same road
n In a period conversion
n Share of Freehold
n Only 1% stamp duty
n £62,500 deposit req @ 25%
n Or £37,500 deposit req @ 15%
n Great first time buy

could net £1m if he manages to purchase at £2.25m and sell at £ 3.25m
- the property has been guided at £1.75m. The £3.25m is going by a conservative value of £2166per Sq FT, which is very conservative for this
location.
The other property which caught my attention is a freehold house,
again sold by fixed charge receivers, this property is on the border of
Kenwood Park in Hampstead. This time there was no tenancy in place,
simply the property is being occupied by the owner's relative according
to the auctioneer's information.
This property has not been internally inspected and the information
given has been obtained from previous marketing material. This means
the property must be purchased blind, i.e. without it being seen internally. This alone is enough to scare most purchasers, certainly end
users will be put off by this but even the few which are happy to purchase blind, they will be put off by the unknown terms of tenancy. This
could mean they cannot evict the tenant or if they can it will possibly
be through a lengthy legal process. This leaves only a segment of die
hard investors for the purchase.
The other issue will be that you may need to purchase the property in cash, as the there are no guarantees in being able to get the mortgage valuer into the property. This then knocks out a lot of buyers for
this property, which is presumably the idea. Unless one is happy to take
the challenge on and have their cash parked in the property.
However, when purchasing a property in this situation, things may
not always be so abysmal, it may be possible that someone purchases
the property, sends a letter from their lawyer and the problem disappears. Or perhaps they sit down and negotiate with the tenant a settlement figure along with the threat of legal action.
Either way this property which ordinarily would been sold for full
value with vacant possession has been scarpered by an unknown tenancy and the problems which came with such a purchase.
This filters the number of buyers heavily. Only those with a strong
appetite for risk and who can take a punt will go for these types of properties. In short the number of buyers will have been whittled down,
which seems to be the objective.
If you analyse what’s really going on it is to do with human behaviour
and what motivates humans is not common sense or logic. It's emotion.
The emotion o f fear and loss is what d rives human s more
th an gain an d pleasure .
When you have an unknown in an investment it scares people more
than is justified, and therefore most run the other way. The fear of loss
weighs more strongly than the pleasure of a gain and so the way this
manifests is as an irrational response. When something is unknown
most people will consider the pessimistic angle rather than the fair one.
I guess there is only so far you can analyse these types of situations,
you can look at them in several different ways and put figures to them
and then something which you haven’t anticipated happens. You need
to have the expertise around you to handle every eventuality, and I
guess the bottom line is: Do you feel lucky?
Whilst I'm writing this article my colleague is in the auction room
bidding for the Park Lane lot, time will tell whether we are successful.
It only takes two people to drive the price up in an auction. There's a
lot of cash chasing prime property lots, so anything can happen.

Tips of the Week
l Buying a BTL property is not like buying a
home. Don’t get emotional regarding the
BTL property, you’re allowed to get
emotional about your home.
l Property prices in good locations tend to
be high, but these are the areas where you
get the maximum capital appreciation. So it’s
better to save or club together to ensure you
purchase a diamond.

20

fInancIal voice

Asian Voice - Saturday 22nd December 2012

India's central bank keeps
rates unchanged
maria@abplgroup.com

Maria Fernandes

Should we trust our politicians?

This week the Office for
National
Statistics
released Census data
which indicated that the
number of people born
outside the UK has
increased by 63% from
2001 to 2011. This has
led to claims that this was
the result of “uncontrolled
immigration” and led to
the
Home
Secretary
accusing immigrants of
pushing up prices of property. Boris Johnson, newly
returned from India,
expressed concern as he
felt Indian businessmen
feel that the environment
for Indian business is hostile. An interesting fact
from the census was that
51% of those born abroad
were aged 15-29. The significance of this is the fact
that we have an aging population and there is an
urgent need to inject those
of working age who can
provide taxes to plug the
gap that will paralyse the
country in the future.
Tony Blair realised this
and he was taking measures to ensure that this
was sufficiently addressed.
Ed Miliband has now
jumped on the bandwagon, abound with confessions and regrets, and
insisting that immigrants

that the public’s main concern is immigration. It
really isn’t except among
the literati. The fact is that
when a country faces economic woes, immigration
becomes the scapegoat.
We now live in a global
world, which is fluid and
forever changing. In the
US the white population
has decreased substantially over the years and one
of the reasons Romney
lost was his failure to
understand the demographics of the voters.
The number1 hit and
one of the most popular
songs in the UK and
beyond is Gangnam style,
a song that is sung in
Korean. It is clear evidence that we live in a
changing world where barriers of race, colour or language are being broken
down. Politicians need to
understand this new landscape and re-draw their
lines of battle.
Maria Fernandes has
been in practice exclusively
in immigration for the past
25 years. Fernandes Vaz is
based at 87 Wembley Hill
Road Wembley in Wembley
and can be contacted by
telephone
on
02087330123, by email on
info@fernandesvaz.com.

must assimilate and that
they must speak English.
This is unobjectionable as
a statement. If only it was
as easy as that. I wonder
sometimes whether he
truly understands the
struggle of immigrants
shunned from mainstream
jobs through racism.
Their tenacity resulted in
many of them setting up in
business and becoming
successful despite this. It
is this success that is now
lauded.
Leaving the rich and
successful aside for a
moment, lets face it, the
care workers who were the
butt of further criticisms,
take jobs that nobody else
wants. The work is hard,
the hours are long and
anti-social and the pay is
poor. Ask any care home
owner why they prefer
migrant workers. These
staff often have substantial skills lacking in local
residents, are reliable and
turnover of these staff is
much lower than the general population. This
industry is already in crisis. Attacking it when it is
already down is opportunistic and unwise.
Politicians of both parties, and the papers
appear to have this view

Jaguar Land Rover may build
plant in Saudi Arabia
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR)
signed a preliminary deal to
build a plant in Saudi
Arabia, extending its expansion in fast-growing markets having already started
work on a plant in China.
The British luxury marque,
owned by India's Tata
Motors, signed the deal to
look at the possibility of
making 50,000 Land Rovers
a year at a Saudi plant costing some 4.5 billion riyals,
the country's commerce and
industry ministry said in a
statement.
A spokesman for JLR
said the agreement was
"purely exploratory" and it
was too early to provide
any details. JLR has seen
huge demand over the past
year from emerging markets such as China, Russia
and countries in the
Middle East for its luxury
SUVs and sleek sedans,

offsetting sluggish growth
in developed markets.
The company and its
Chinese partner Chery
Automobile
said
last
month they had laid the
foundation stone for a factory near Shanghai. "I
can't make any statement
for these kind of investment figures. We have just
signed a letter of intent ....
it's a letter of intent to
investigate the project,"
JLR Chief Executive Ralf
Speth told reporters in the
Saudi capital.
"A memorandum of
understanding is ... scheduled in the next year and
this memorandum of
understanding will have
more facts and figures."
The proposed plant,
which will assemble fourwheel-drive Land Rovers,
will likely start up in 2017
and will be located in

Yanbu on the kingdom's
Red Sea coast, said Azzam
Shalabi, head of the Saudi
commerce and industry
ministry's industrial clusters programme.
Saudi Arabia, which
does not have an existing
automotive industry, is
seeking to develop local
industry to diversify its
economy away from oil
exports, leveraging its
abundant
natural
resources and low electricity prices. JLR said in its
statement it had already
identified opportunities
for aluminium component
production in the country,
but it did not specify
where the investment for
the proposed plant would
come from.
The company would
not lose British jobs to any
new Saudi plant, Speth
said.

*& ) %

(

%*

quarter review of monetary policy on Oct 30, the
RBI had lowered the CRR
by .25 per cent, but had
kept unchanged the repo
and reverse repo rates,
which determine lending
and borrowing rates by
commercial banks. As per
latest data released last
week, the annual rate of
inflation based on wholesale price index declined
to a 10-month low of 7.24
per cent in November

against 7.45 per cent in
the previous month.
However, wholesale
price-based food inflation
increased to 8.50 per cent
in November this year
from 8.32 per cent recorded in the corresponding
month of previous year.
This was largely due to an
exponential rise in the
prices of cereals, rice,
wheat and pulses, according to data released by the
ministry of commerce and
industry. "The new combined (rural and urban)

CPI (consumer price
index) inflation increased
in November, reflecting
sustained food inflation
pressures, particularly in
respect of vegetables, cereals, pulses, oils and fats,"
the bank said. Meanwhile,
the growth in the country's
gross domestic product in
the second quarter of this
fiscal at 5.3 per cent was
marginally lower than the
5.5 per cent logged during
the first quarter - which
has been a matter of concern for all stakeholders.
But the Reserve Bank
relented in giving in to
demands for a rate cut citing inflation as a key reason. However, in its future
guidance the RBI said
there is a possibility of policy easing in the fourth
quarter, if the core inflation continues to decline.
"In view of inflation pressures ebbing, monetary
policy has to increasingly
shift focus and respond to
the threats to growth from
this
point
onwards.
Liquidity conditions will
be managed with a view to
supporting growth as stated in the SQR (second
quarter review), thereby
preparing the ground for
further shifting the policy
stance to support growth,"
it said.

Kingfisher says will restart
operations in phases

Gopinath set to
float new airline
next year

Ignoring pleas from industry, the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) kept all key
policy rates and reserve
ratios unchanged in a
review on Tuesday but said
its focus now shifts
towards spurring growth
that has taken a hit in
recent months.
"In view of inflation
pressures ebbing, monetary policy has to increasingly shift focus and
respond to the threats to
growth from this point
onward," the country's
central bank said in a
statement on its mid-quarter review of the monetary
policy. "Overall, recent
inflation patterns and projections provide a basis for
reinforcing our October
guidance about policy easing in the fourth quarter.
However, risks to inflation
remain and accordingly,
even as the policy emphasis shifts towards growth,
the policy stance will
remain sensitive to these
risks," it said.
Accordingly, the bank
rate remains unchanged at
9 per cent, the repurchase
(repo) rate at 8 per cent,
reverse repo rate at 7 per
cent, the cash reserve ratio
at 4.25 per cent and statutory liquidity ratio at 23
per cent. In the second

Debt-laden and grounded
Kingfisher Airlines said on
Monday it would "restart in
a phased manner," with own
funding, and will not seek
banks' support. Kingfisher,
saddled with a debt load of
$1.4 billion, has not flown
since October, and is under
immense pressure to raise
equity fast to keep its
licence intact. "We have also
shared a full recapitalisation
plan which will be further
discussed with a small designated group of bankers,"
Kingfisher said in a statement, after a meeting with
its lenders.
Meanwhile, Kingfisher
in stake sale talks with Abu
Dhabi's Etihad Airways
and other investors, has
capped foreign portfolio
investment in the company
at 3 per cent, carving space
for a foreign investor to buy
as much as 46 per cent of
the embattled carrier.
India allows foreign
investment of up to 49 per
cent in local carriers.
Overseas
institutional
investors currently hold

& +$ %* &(

Exactly a decade after he
launched India's first lowcost carrier (LCC) Air
Deccan and five years after
he was forced to sell it off,
Captain G R Gopinath is
all set to make a comeback
with a startup. Three foreign LCCs are learnt to
have approached him to
take up to 49% stake in the
proposed new venture for
which he has already
applied to the aviation
ministry to get a licence.
The non-compete agreement Gopinath signed
while selling Deccan to
Vijay
Mallya's
nowgrounded Kingfisher in
2007 ends on January 28,
2013. Gopinath said that
he would finalize the partner in two to three months
and hopes to launch the
airline by mid-2013.
The past three to four
years have not seen any
new airlines and only witnessed
Air
Deccan,
MDLR, Paramount and
Kingfisher either shutting
down or losing their identity.

2.46
per
cent
of
Kingfisher, according to
stock exchange data.
Kingfisher said earlier
this week it was in talks
with Etihad Airways and
other investors about taking a stake. The decision
to limit FII investment
was taken "with a view to
keeping the company's
capital structure in readiness for transactions that
may be identified in the
future for the benefit of all
stakeholders of the company," Kingfisher said.
Kingfisher has been trying for more than a year to
find an investor, without
success. It is saddled with
$2.5 billion in debt, according to one estimate. A fresh
cash infusion into the struggling carrier could come
from a financial or strategic,
Indian or non-resident
investor, Kingfisher said.

As 2013 rapidly approaches,
typically people think about the
changes they are going to make
to their lives. In the US, congress is currently negotiating in
order to make sure that certain
changes do not happen.
The impending US fiscal
cliff, set to initiate 1st January,
will bring about an austere environment; the product of taxes
raises, spending cuts and tax cut
expiries. President Obama and
Republican House Speaker John
Boehner are currently locked in
negotiations to find a deal that
will sidestep the problems that
the fiscal cliff would bring,
whilst also trying to appease
critics that say the levels of US
debt are exorbitant.
Rapidly approaching their
adjusted debt ceiling, the US
owes nearly $14trillion. The fiscal cliff was originally designed
to reverse the runaway debt
train; however exogenous factors such as the global slowdown and Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sovereign
debt crisis have stunted the
nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic performance.
Considered tame by its usual
standards, the low American
growth is not considered substantial enough to endure the

$607billion fiscal cliff, with analysts predicting the nation
would be plunged into recession.
With time running out, you
may think that this is an emergent problem; however Obama,
the rest of congress and the public have been aware for many
months. It appears that both the
Republicans and Democrats
have been procrastinating until
now and as such the now urgent
problem is being combatted.

At the start of the month,
Obama and Boehner were at
loggerheads with both branding
each other â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;unreasonableâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; as
they battled to find a deal. Now
that the event is looming on the
horizon, it appears both have
awoken to the necessity that a
deal is sought.
Initially conceding that the
wealthiest will need to take
higher taxes, Boehner showed
the first necessary signs that
negotiation was possible. He

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8
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8

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0
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5

still maintained that President
Obamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s flagship social spending programs such as Medicare
will need to be slashed.
On the evening of the 17th,
Obama submitted his newest
offer to Boehner. This deal is
not expected to be the final
draft, and will require further
retort and response, however
there is tangible progress being
made between the two.
There was already an innate
belief that a deal would be
hashed out to prevent the fiscal
cliff; resultantly the dollar has
significantly weakened recently.
Even as the lack of progress
frustrated congress, investors
maintained their faith that a
solution would be found. The
consequences to the economy if
one is not found are deemed too
great.
Going forward as the two
move closer to a deal, the dollar
may see further weakness as
investorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; worries are soothed.
Going in search of greater
returns elsewhere, currencies
such as the euro have already
benefitted from investor confidence and leading towards
Christmas we could see this at
its nadir.

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Information provided by RationalFX.
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22

world

Asian Voice - Saturday 22nd December 2012

In Focus
Washington: The United
States
has
resumed
bankrolling Pakistan with
American tax dollars despite
the unstable country ramping
up nuclear weapons production and its political leadership paying little or no taxes.
The Obama administration has reportedly sent to
the Congress on December 7,
Pakistan's tab for a $688 million payment that constitutes
Islamabad's bill for deploying
its troops and providing
infrastructural support to the
US in its war in Afghanistan.
The
payout,
going
through without any protest
or discussion in Washington,
is said to be the first since

John Kerry

summer this year, after payment of the so-called
Coalition Support Fund
(CSF) was suspended amid
worsening ties between the
two countries due to the raid
that killed Osama bin Laden
last year and the Salala attack
that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. The Obama adminis-

Pakistan may disintegrate
again, warns A Q Khan
Islamabad: Pakistan is at
present in a worse situation
than it was in 1971, said disgraced nuclear scientist
Abdul Qadeer Khan, warning
that "the day will not be far off
when we disintegrate again" if
social evils are not rectified
soon. "The country is at present in a worse situation than
it was in 1971. It is plagued
with all kinds of social evils. If
we don't rectify this soon, the
day will not be far off when
we disintegrate again. In
order to rectify the situation,
the first and foremost necessity is to disengage ourselves
from the foreign war and put
our own house in order,"
Khan wrote in an article
"Events of 1971" in the opinion section of the News
International. Khan was
referring to the IndiaPakistan war of 1971, which
led to the birth of Bangladesh.
"It is most unfortunate that
we in Pakistan have also not
learnt any lessons from our
past tragic mistakes. The
breaking up of Pakistan on
December 16, 1971, was one
such recent event.
"Millions of Pakistanis are
fully aware of the reasons
behind that tragedy, but it
seems that our rulers and the

Census data points
to US becoming a
nation of
minorities in 2043
Washington: The United
States will become a nation
of minorities in 2043 when
whites will cease to make up
a majority of the population,
the US Census Bureau said.
In its first set of projections
based on the 2010 census,
the federal agency said the
non-Hispanic white population is expected to peak in
2024 at 199.6 million in 2024
and then slowly decrease.
Other racial and ethnic
groups will meanwhile keep
growing.
Hispanics will double in
numbers to 128.8 million in
2060, or nearly one in three
US residents, as will Asians,
to 34.4 million or 8.2 per cent
of the projected total population of 420.3 million. Census
Bureau also projected that for
the first time, in 2056, residents of the United States
aged 65 or older will outnumber young people under the
age of 18.

A Q Khan

establishment are oblivious
to these, despite the fact that
it was such a traumatic experience," he wrote.
Khan was put under
house arrest in 2004 after
confessing to have sent
nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya
and North Korea and sought
the nation's forgiveness. He
later retracted his remarks
and alleged that he had been
forced by former president
Gen (retd.) Pervez Musharraf
to make the statement. His
opinion piece said that the
country was broken up, "hundreds of thousands of people
were killed, women were
raped and almost 92,000
army and other personnel
were taken prisoner".
"...As is usual here, nobody
was held responsible for such
a big and tragic disaster."

tration has ostensibly felt the
need to buy Pakistan's support for its upcoming drawdown from Afghanistan
despite serious misgivings in
Washington.
Non-proliferation circles
have been replete in recent
days
with
reports
of
Pakistan's "reckless" drive
towards deploying (small)
tactical nuclear weapons,
which arms control advocates
feel will be easy for jihadist
groups to intercept or hijack
during their transportation to
battlefield stations. A recent
study produced by a Pakistani
investigative think tank
revealed that 60% of country's cabinet and two-thirds of

Asif Ali Zardari among Pak
leaders who evade taxes
Islamabad: A majority of
Pakistani parliamentarians
and politicians, including
President Asif Ali Zardari,
are tax dodgers, a report on
rampant tax evasion among
the country's political elite
has revealed. The Centre for
Investigative Reporting in
Pakistan's report said twothirds of the country's elected
political leaders failed to submit any income tax returns
last year. The 70-page report
said that out of 446 members
of the Senate and National
Assembly, 300 did not file
their tax returns. Those who
did paid an amount that does
not match their living standards. Out of 126 parliamentarians, who paid their taxes,
only 15 paid above $10,500
and 68 below $1,060. PM
Raja Pervez Ashraf paid only
$1500 income tax which is an
insignificant amount not
matching his declared wealth.
Out of 54 ministers, 34
did not file tax returns. The
prominent among them
include deputy PM Chaudhry
Pervez Elahi, interior minister Rehman Malik, railways
minister Ghulam Ahmad
Bilour,
Benazir
Income
Support Programme chairperson Farzana Raja and

Hafiz Saeed against
MFN status to India

Lahore: The Defa-e-Pakistan
Council (DPC) formed by
Jamaat-ud Dawa (JuD) chief
Hafiz Saeed launched a
“movement” to oppose the
move to grant Most Favoured
Nation status (MFN) to
India. On the pattern of a
campaign against the reopening of Nato supply routes,
today we announce the
launching of a movement
against giving MFN status to
India,” Saeed said addressing
thousands of people who
joined a “peace march” to the
Wagah land border with
India. Besides opposing the
move to give India MFN status, the event marked the fall
of Dhaka in the 1971 war
that led to the creation of
Bangladesh.
During his address, gathered members shouted slogans in support of jihad. The
DPC is an alliance of over 40
religious
and
extremist
groups,
including
JuD,
Jamaat-e-Islami and Jamiat

federal lawmakers did not file
tax returns last year, a scroll
of shame that reportedly
included the President, the
finance minister, and the foreign minister. Regardless,
Pakistan has powerful supporters in Washington who
have pressed for ladling out
US tax dollars in the belief
that America needs to remain
invested in the country, none
more than Senator John
Kerry, President Obama's
putative secretary of state.
Kerry was the co-author of
the so-called Kerry-LugarBerman law which authorized
a five-year $7.5 billion payout
to Pakistan subject to a slew
of conditions and caveats.

A Q Khan

Ulema-e- Islam-S, formed by
Saeed after 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed in a Nato air
strike last year. Saeed, for
whom US offered a $10 million bounty this year, said his
group will not allow Pakistan
to become an “Indian
colony” and claimed India
had opened “training camps”
in Afghanistan.Former ISI
chief Hamid Gul, Jamiat
Ulema-e-Islam leader Samiul
Haq and JuD leader Amir
Hamza also addressed the
gathering.

Asif Ali Zardari

commerce
Minister
Makhdoom Amin Fahim.
Fahim is not registered for
even National Tax Number
(NTN). Foreign minister
Hina Rabbani Khar, considered among the richest cabinet members, paid just $725.
In the Senate, Aitzaz
Ahsan was the highest taxpayer with $136,589 while
Mushahid Hussain the lowest
taxpaying senator. He paid less
than a dollar in 2011. Jehangir
Tareen was the highest taxpaying National Assembly member with $179,507. The lowest
taxpaying
was
PML-N's
Sheikh Rohail Asghar, who
paid $ 175. Former PM Yousaf
Raza Gilani and his 25 cabinet
members had acknowledged in
their nomination papers for
the February 2008 general
elections that they did not pay
a single penny as income tax.
Gilani even registered for NTN
in 2010, one-and-half-year
before quitting.

Egyptians narrowly
back statute

Cairo: Egyptians voted narrowly in favour of a constitution, shaped by Islamists but
opposed by other groups who
fear it will deepen divisions,
officials in rival camps said
on Sunday after the first
round of a two-stage referendum was wrapped up.
Next
week’s
second
round is likely to give another “yes” vote as it includes
districts seen as more sympathetic towards Islamists, analysts say, meaning the constitution would be approved.
But a close win, if confirmed,
Mohamed Morsi only limited
cause for celebration as it
would show a wide rift in a
country where he needs to
build consensus on tough
measures to fix a fragile economy.
The
Muslim
Brotherhood, which propelled Morsi to office in a
June election, said 56.5% of
the voters backed the text of
the
draft
constitution.
Official results are not
expected till after the next
round.

18 kids among 27 killed in US
school shootout

Newtown (Connecticut): At least 27 people,
including 18 children, were killed when a
shooter opened fire at an Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut last
week. There was speculation that the shooter
may be the father of one of the students at the
school. If confirmed, it would be one of the
worst mass shootings in US history. The principal and school psychologist was among the
dead. The alleged attacker, 24, was armed
with four weapons and a bullet-proof vest.

Assange to run for Oz senate

Sydney: Wikileaks founder Julian Assange
has confirmed his intention to run for a seat in
the Australian Senate in the 2013 election. He
indicated he would be a Senate candidate,
and added that 'a number of very worthy people admired by the Australian public' have
indicated their availability to stand for election
on a party ticket. The founder of the whistle
blowing website said he was able to fulfill the
requirements to register as an overseas elector in either New South Wales or Victoria.

Berlusconi is engaged to girl
48 years his junior

Rome: Former Italian premier Silvio
Berlusconi has revealed he is engaged to a
woman almost 50 years his junior, and says
that "finally I feel less alone". The 76-yearold media baron said his engagement to 28year-old Francesca Pascale is "official".
Berlusconi's second wife left him in 2008,
citing alleged dalliances with young women.
He is now on trial on charges of having sex
with an underage woman and using his
office to cover it up. His girlfriend Francesca
Pascale is a TV presenter.

Car bomb kills 19 in Pakistan

Islamabad: At least 19 people were killed
and 74 injured when a powerful car bomb
exploded close to government offices in
Jamrud town of Pakistan's northwestern
Khyber tribal region. The explosion follows a
deadly Taliban assault on the airport in
Peshawar over the weekend which left 15
people dead, 10 of them attackers, underlining the strength of militants in the country's
restive tribal regions and adjoining areas.

Indian techie convicted for
allegedly groping woman

Washington: An Indian software consultant,
on a work visa in the US, was convicted by
a Chicago court for allegedly groping a
woman while they were seated next to each
other aboard an aircraft. Srinivasa S
Erramilli, 45, remains free on bond pending
sentencing, which has been set for April 26,
2013. He faces a maximum sentence of two
years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Incidentally, he was convicted twice previously for identical crimes.

Landmine blast kills 10 girls in
Afghanistan

Kabul: A car bomb exploded outside of a
compound housing a US military contractor in
Kabul the Afghan capital blowing apart an
exterior wall, killing at least two Afghan workers and wounding 15 other people. In another part of the country, a suspected landmine
killed 10 young girls in the east of the country.

N Korea defies world,
launches rocket

Seoul: North Korea launched a long-range
rocket days before its young ruler marks 12
months in power, intensifying the threat posed
by the nuclear-armed state and provoking
global condemnation. The US and its allies
were infuriated and even China expressed
“regret” at the successful launch by its wayward communist ally - while also calling on all
sides to avoid “stoking the flames”. The
launch triggered plans for an emergency session of the UN Security Council.

Facebook removes Taliban
recruitment page

San Francisco: Facebook has taken down
a page used by the Islamist guerillas of the
Pakistani Taliban to recruit new fighters, a
spokesman for the US-based social network
site said. Earlier, the US-based SITE
Intelligence Group said the Umar Media TTP
page used Facebook as "a recruitment" tool.

• Gay sex not a
crime,
accepts
Indian government
• Gujarat to have
first camel milk
dairy soon
• Ahmedabad wins
World City Prize as most livable city
• Thirty eight year
old
Akhilesh
Yadav,
son
of
Samajwadi Party
chief
minister
Mulayam Singh,
becomes CM of UP
• Asian Voice / Gujarat Samachar launches Coffee Table book on Sayaji Rao
Gaekwad III in Vadodara

April
• Seven Asian owned companies among
fastest growing in Britain
• Gujarat Chief
m i n i s t e r
Narendra Modi
opens
India’s
first canal top
solar power project in Gujarat
• 6 Indian origin scientists honoured with
Fellow of Royal society
• Agni-V launches
India into elite
ICBM club
• West Bengal CM
Mamta named
among world’s most influential people
• India gearing up for second milk revolution with launch of national dairy plant
at Anand
• BJP wins, Cong drubbed in Delhi civic
polls
• SC wants VIP quota for Haj to go

lated version of Bhagwat Gita issue that
had enraged the nation
• Anna Hazare
dares PMO to
punish him if he
is anti-national
• Eighty per cent
voting in crucial
Andhra Pradesh
• Arrest Nithyanand and seal his ashram,
orders Karnatak Chief Minister

July
• India’s former finance
minister
Pranab
Mukherjee set to win
the presidential election on July 19
• Time magazine calls
Manmohan Singh a
PM of ‘under achiever’
• Hindi makes debut in China at
Guangdong University of foreign students
• Flood kills over 500 animals in
Kaziranga national park in Gulaghat
district
• 20 Naxalites killed in encounter with
CRPF in Chhattisgardh

August
•

Patriotic fervor marks India’s
Independence Day
• Air shuttle service takes off in Gujarat
• Mamta Bannerjee breaks age old
Independent Day tradition
• Ramdev ends 5-day fast that was against
corruption
• Gir-Somnath becomes
Gujarat’s 27th district
•
Former
CM
Keshubhai launches
his Gujarat Parivartan
Party

October
• Five Indian Americans among Forbes
400 richest
•
Kingfisher
faces
financial
crunch, led to
suspension of all
aircraft
• An Egyptian
American man behind anti-Islam film
that has stocked violent protest across
Muslim community around world, was
arrested in California
• US intelligence group finds Qaida link
in envoy killing
• British –Japanese duo wins Nobel for
stem cell research
• Anti-Buddhist rage strikes Bangla,11
shrines torched
• Abu Hamza connected with Al-Qaida
face maximum life
sentence in US
•
Lahore
Chowk
named after Bhagat Singh

July
• University applicants from UK students for
courses in autumn down by 8.95 per cent
• Pakistan’s People’s Party Chairman
Bilawal Bhutto
fails to appear
for law exams
• Twenty-one year
old trainee pilot
Jaskinder Kaur
Samra died in plane crash
• Al Qaida terrorist
Habib Ahmed back
in
prison
after
breaking the terms
of his license
• Liberal Democrats
launch
Dadabhai
Naoroji award
• Chancellor George Osborne and his
opposite number Ed Balls clash over
banking inquiry at House of Commons.

• The Indian origin
nurse
Jacintha
Saldanha working in
London hospital dies of
suicide. She was facing
an insult of a prank
played on her by
Australian RJs on the
radio
Immigration in the UK sees biggest fall
in 20 years
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge
have announced that they are expecting
their first baby
Lord Raj Loomba granted award at the
Forbes Philanthropy Awards 2012
Hindujourney invited to attend
Interfaith Young Council at the House
of Lords
London Mayor Boris
Johnson visits India
Hindus and Sikhs
accuse government
for ‘failing to confront the truth’ about
sexual grooming
Free multi-faith primary school in
Hayes welcomes Hindus
Post Tsunami Japan now lures British
travelers to holiday in their country

SportS
January

•
•
•
•
•
•

•

• Australian Ricky
Ponting scores 1300th
test run
• Mahela Jaywardene
reappointed Sri Lanka
captain cricket
India regain second spot in ODI ranking
Match opener Virendra Sehwag completes 8000 runs in test series
Australia crush India by 122 runs in
first test in Melbourne
Sri Lanka thrash South Africa by 208
runs in second test at Kingsmead
Make-or-Break case of Gautam
Gambhir
Sachin
Tendulkar’s son
padding up for
life in cricket
Sania to lead
Indian challenge
in Fed Cup

September
• Harbhajan Singh, Chawla wreck clueless England
• Saina signs three-year
deal worth `400 mn
• Pietersan left out of
England test squad for
India tour
• Andy Murray wins US
open
• India defeated New
Zealand by five wickets in the second
Test in Bangalore to win the two Test
series 2-0 with Man of the Match as
Virat Kohli
• Olympic medalists Vijay Kumar
and Yogeshwar
Dutt were jointly
conferred
the
Rajiv
Gandhi
Khel
Ratna
award-India’s highest honour
• No Indian in ICC team of the Year
• Alastair Cook is England’s new Cricket
captain

• Tennis ace Mahesh Bhupati says 2013
would be his last year on tour
• International Olympic committee suspends India
• India top Champions Trophy Pool a
despite Germany loss in Hockey
• The ‘Sleeping Giant’ of world football
Inter Milan ready to enter India with
European clubs keen on forging strategic alliances with Indian partners.
• India England teams return to practice
for Kolkata test.

26

gujarat asseMbly polls 2012

Asian Voice - Saturday 22nd December 2012

Congress fails to create Modi - the leader with a difference
any impact on electorate

Arjun Modhwadia, Shaktisinh Gohil and Siddharth Patel

By AV Correspondent
The opposition Congress
which does gain some solace in having gained a couple of seats more than the
previous elections in 2007,
has managed to reach a
tally of 61 with all the
party’s senior leaders having to bite the dust. The
party has been out of
power for the last 17 years
in the state.
The party’s state president Arjun Modhwadia
lost from his constituency
in Porbander while the
leader of the opposition
Shaktisinh Gohil too lost
from his constituency
against BJP strongman
Puroshtam Solanki.
A hyped up faceless
campaign which targeted
the policies of the CM,
failed to create a connect
with the voters. Senior
party leaders remained
incommunicado
but
admitted that they need to

do a serious introspection
on what led to party’s loss
especially of three senior
leaders.
“The posters of the
Congress put up in various
parts of the state spoke of
issues ranging from unemployment to people being
homeless, their slogans
did raise curiosities but
failed to connect with the
youth which turned up in
large numbers to vote for
the BJP and Modi,’’ said
political historian Vishnu
Pandya.
He said that campaign
by central leaders like
Sonia Gandhi and Rahul
Gandhi too did draw large
crowds but Rahul restricted himself to references in
the past and Sonia too did
not create an impact
through her speeches.
Pandya said that the
choice of candidates and
political
novice
like
Shweta Bhatt, wife of suspended IPS officer Sanjiv

Bhatt, also showed the
helplessness of the party
to take on someone like
Modi. “It was being just
shown as a symbolic fight,
instead of that they should
have preferred a political
heavyweight which would
have convinced the voters
that they were ready to
take on Modi,’’ said
Pandya.
Congress spokesperson, Manish Doshi said
that the results were
indeed a setback after the
kind of response that they
had been receiving after
the declaration of their 12
point programme which
included free homes for
women. “We will look into
the reasons, analyse and
work for the future and
not repeat the present mistakes,’’ said Doshi. He
said that it was indeed
worrisome that excepting
Shankersinh Vaghela most
of the senior leaders of the
party had lost.

Narendra Modi, whose hat-trick in
Gujarat could possibly pitchfork him as
a prime ministerial candidate of BJP in
2014, has always remained a leader with
a difference, a personality you may love
or hate but cannot ignore.
The 62-year-old former RSS
pracharak is no ordinary politician and
has carved out a name for development
in a state that has always nurtured talent and entrepreneurial skills.
But Modi has more share of controversies and is yet to live down the stigma over the post-Godhra violence that
claimed many Muslims in March 2002
months after he had taken over as Chief
Minister replacing Keshubhai Patel.
In a state considered the Sangh
Parivar’s Hindutva laboratory, the Chief
Minister is accused of polarising the
state on communal lines. In fact, he is
the most targeted leader in the current
times with his opponents ready to go to
any extent to hurl invectives on him.
However, he has admirers in equal
measure in his party and outside. Modi
made feeble attempts to woo the
Muslims but the controversial BJP
strongman has always projected an air
of unconcern.
His critics say that Modi will always
have to carry the taint of 2002 Gujarat
riots after the Godhra train carnage for
which he has consciously avoided
expressing regret or offering any apology. In one recent interview, he had, however, said if he was guilty of involvement, he can be hanged.
Modi’s admirers, on the other hand,
hail him as “Hindu Hriday Samrat.”
The situation is so polarised in Gujarat
that Sonia Gandhi’s remarks accusing
Modi of being a “merchant of death”
had created a huge controversy in the
2007 Assembly Polls.
The description is said to have cost
the Congress dear that the party shied
away from raking up the issue of postGodhra riots altogether in the current
elections.
After 11 long years as Gujarat Chief

Minister and his third consecutive success at the hustings, Modi may have
propelled himself as a strong contender
as party’s candidate for Prime
Minister’s post in the 2014 Lok Sabha
polls.
“No need of looking behind ...FORWARD!....We want infinite energy, infinite courage, infinite patience...” Mr.
Modi said on the microblogging site
Twitter in the wake of trends that he
was set to create a hat-trick. It was
interpreted in some circles as a subtle
comment indicating his intention to be
in the prime ministerial race. In fact, he
has created history by emerging as the
first BJP chief minister to have third
successive win at a time when the party
is in dire need of a strong leader to get
back to power at the Centre.
The election was different for Modi
as it was for the first time that elderly
Keshubhai, whom he had replaced as
the Chief Minister in 2001, parted ways
with the BJP and floated his Gujarat
Parivartan Party to rid the state of an
‘emergency like situation.’
Given the bitter parting of ways, the
2012 polls was the litmus test for Modi,
who had consciously tried to build
bridges with the minorities by holding
Sadbhavana fasts all over the state. At
the same time, he did not give ticket to
a single Muslim in a bid not to ruffle the
feathers in the Hindutva camp. Modi
also had reached out to his core constituency by organising state-wide yatra
by projecting Swamy Vivekananda as
his ideal on his 150th birth anniversary.
In the wake of the 2002 riots, the
then Prime Minister Atal Behari
Vajpayee had reminded him of his “raj
dharma”, but L.K. Advani and the late
Pramod Mahajan helped Modi to survive as the Chief Minister.
After that there was no looking back
for the RSS pracharak who had moved
to the BJP long back, first as organising
secretary of the party in Gujarat and
later an office-bearer at his headquarter
in Delhi.

Hat-trick for Modi in Gujarat
Continued from page 1
I will work for the betterment of the people. I want
to take Gujarat a lot further. I want to take to that
place where development
itself knocks at the door of
the state. The results of
the Gujarat elections have
proven that the citizens of
this country know very
well what is right and
what is wrong."
Himachal
Pradesh
goes to Congress: The
Congress is all set to form
the
government
in
Himachal Pradesh after
winning clear majority in
the state. Congress has
won 36 seats one more
than the required seat to
form the government.
Congress has given the
credit of its victory in HP
to the collective leadership. Commenting on the
results, Union finance
minister P Chidambaram
said that this victory was
the result of collective
leadership in Himachal
Pradesh. However, he
refused to reveal whether
veteran leader Virbhadra
Singh would be made chief
minister of the state. We
projected the Congress
Party. Virbhadra Singh
was the HPCC President.
What we have achieved in
Himachal is a tribute to

the collective leadership
and the unity of the
Congress
Party
in
Himachal Pradesh," he
told media persons outside
the Parliament in Delhi.
Gujarat win emphatic,
Himachal a disappointment: Jaitley
BJP leader Arun Jaitley
termed his party’s win in
Gujarat as “emphatic” and
its loss in Himachal

third in a row with
Narendra Modi at the
helm,” he said. He said
votes for the BJP defied
caste and community. “We
have got votes of tribals
and minorities. This kind
of vote is not on a particular agenda,” Jaitley said.
When asked what went
wrong with the Congress’
strategy in Gujarat, Jaitley
said: “The Congress did

When the economy is
doing badly and you cannot improve its performance, you must talk it up.
Chidambaram has tried to
translate this idiom into
the Congress party’s performance in Gujarat,”
Jaitley said. Jaitley was
evasive when asked about
a bigger role for Modi,
especially as the BJP’s
prime ministerial candi-

could have contested a little better. The rebellion in
the party could be a factor
in BJP’s defeat. The defeat
is more on account of the
BJP’s internal troubles
than a vote in favour of the
Congress. We could have
won in Himachal if there
were not so many rebels.”
Commenting on the
Gujarat results, Lord
Dolar Popat said, “There

Narendra Modi’s victory speech at an event organised opposite the BJP Party Office in Khanpur, Ahmedabad.

Pradesh “disappointing”.
“The margin of victory in
Gujarat indicates it is an
emphatic win. In 2002, we
got a nine per cent lead in
vote share. This increased
to 10 per cent-plus in 2007
and this time too, it is
expected to be in doubledigits,” Jaitley said.
“Our
victory
in
Gujarat is the fifth in a
row (since 1995) and the

not know which way to go.
It did not pitch any national or state leader against
Modi. They wanted to duck
development and leadership. By ducking, you
never win an election.”
He also took potshots
at Chidambaram, who said
Congress was a winner in
Gujarat despite losing.
“Chidambaram is an experienced finance minister.

date.“This is not the issue
of the moment. I cannot
discuss it on national television right now. Modi is a
very senior leader and is
extremely popular with the
party’s rank and file. His
views matter and are taken
seriously in the BJP.”
On Himachal Pradesh,
Jaitley said: “Himachal
was disappointing. We led
a good government. We

was certainly never any
doubt about Modi’s victory in Gujarat, but his popularity and landslide win
has proved that Modi is a
very credible candidate to
become India’s next Prime
Minister. Today Modi’s
influences spans outside
of Gujarat and he is a
leader who is extremely
popular both within the
party and country and

whose views are taken
very seriously. Modi’s
leadership has transformed Gujarat into one of
India’s economic powerhouses and many other
states are following suit. If
the Party wants to campaign on the economy and
efficient government and if
it wishes to replicate
Gujarat’s successes across
India, then Narendra Modi
is the likeliest candidate
who can achieve this.”
Overseas Friends BJP,
UK: Overseas Friends BJP
UK conveys its good wishes to six crore population
of
Gujarat,
Bhartiya
Janata Party and chief
minister Narendra Modi.
The opposition parties and
media which was criticizing Modi by alleging that
there was no development
in 11 years in Gujarat,
allegations of neglecting
comman man, CM being
selfish and dominating the
rule, have been given a fitting reply by people of
Gujarat. Do not speak
such a lie or else Congress
will be in a bad shape all
over India in 2014 election. Bharatiya Janata
Party’s
able
leader
Narendrabhai Modi will
emerge as Prime Minister
in an appropriate time.
- Lalubhai Parekh, President,
Overseas Friends of BJP, UK

Narendra Modi took to twitter and blog to thank his
supporters for voting him
back to power in Gujarat for
a third time in a row and
making him the Chief
Minister for a record fourth
time. He posted on his blog
– “The people have spoken
yet again and they have spoken loud and clear! The
results of the 2012 Gujarat

27

Assembly elections have yet
again established the victory
of development politics and
good governance over
everything else!”
On twitter he wrote –
“This is not just a victory of
Gujarat, but also a message
to everyone that development and good governance
triumph over divide and rule
politics.”

“It's a victory of
Gujarat's
model
of
Sarvasparshi (all pervasive),
Sarvasamaveshak (inclusive) and Sarvangi (holistic)
Vikas.” he added. He further
twitted – “Gujarat has written a new chapter with a
new language in the annals
of Indian politics - one that
rewards unity, harmony and
Vikas.”

28

india & travel

Purvi Apurva Shah
ne can take out
“Gujarati
from
O
Gujarat” but cannot take

out
“Gujarat
from
Gujarati.” In broad sense it
means that Gujaratis will
never forget their homeland Gujarat, what may
come. “Once a Gujarati,
you are always a Gujarati.
The 1,600 km long coast
line of Gujarat has become
an enterprising spirit for
Gujaratis.
That
has
enabled many Gujaratis to
settle abroad and be successful. But wherever they
go or whatever they do
they are always Gujaratis.”
Two iconic NRG figures
– Mr Ganpatbhai Patel
from USA and Mr CB Patel
from UK – made the above
statement during an interactive programme on 14th
December at the NRG
Centre of the Gujarat
Chamber of Commerce and
Industry
(GCCI),
Ahmedabad. They were
specially invited to talk on
the role of Gujaratis in eco-

nity abroad. In fact these
publications serve as a
connecting link between
Gujarat and Gujaratis living abroad.
“Mr CB Patel, popularly known as CB, was
hailed as an unpaid
Ambassador of Gujarat.
Anyone in London who
wanted to know about
Gujarat usually contact
CB. He has always promoted and kept Gujarat in
hearts of people abroad.
Gujaratis,
especially
women, had to leave the
luxurious life in E. Africa
and come to London, and
started their life from
scratch. Inspite of hardship, they have given the
best to their children and
have also seen that they
are brought up with Indian
values,” said Kokilaben
Patel, Managing Editor,
Gujarat Samachar.
“Dreams,
Attitude,
Persistence
and
Commitment are the
secret of NRGs success in
foreign land,” said CB
referring to the 4 flash-

Asian Voice - Saturday 22nd December 2012

According to the number
of population, if we calculate it would be .002% of
Gujarati prisoners. There
is only one Hindu Chaplin
in England prison. There is
surely something in Indian
lands that make us all
peace-loving. There are
more than 30 lakh of
whites in England, majority are non-British. Our
community has worked
very hard, have gone out
of their way and earned
their living. They have
their own houses and savings. In fact there are so
many Indians, especially
Gujaratis, who are business tycoons.
“Gujarat has always
been a center of trade –
and it is trade and business that took Gujaratis
abroad. They’ve been
active traders in Africa
since the 13th century and
many of them are big businessmen now. Many of the
first generation immigrants started off as shopkeepers and small traders.
Later generations have

Through these publications CB has been playing
a pioneering role in
strengthening relations
between Britain and India,
particularly Gujarat. He
has been trying to solve
NRIs' problems in the
fields of immigration,
racial discrimination as
well as in social and political fields.
Mr Ganpatbhai Patel
has been a very successful
businessman in USA. With
humble beginnings, he has
emerged as a prominent
Gujarati businessman and
industrialist. With his
strong desire to establish
an education center to
promote hi-tech education
in Gujarat, he made a generous donation of Rs 11.5
crore resulting in the
establishment of Ganpat
University in Mehsana,
North
Gujarat.
This
University has grown into
a leading multi-disciplinary university, attracting
students from not only
India, but also from the
Middle East and Africa.

nomic and political fields
and their involvement in
business and industry in
Britain and USA.
The function was
graced by Mr Prakashbhai
Bhagwati,
GCCI
President, and K H Patel,
Chairman, GCCI NRG
Committee/ NRG Centre.
Mr Arvind Agrawal, IAS,
Principal Secretary (NRI),
Government of Gujarat,
was the chief guest. All of
them conveyed their good
wishes for the progress
and success of NRGs.
“There are six NRG centers in Gujarat that supports and help NRGs coming for tourism, medical
aid, investment, trade or
any other requirement. It
also helps Gujaratis in
Gujarat to trade abroad,”
says Mr Bhagwati. He
appreciated the support of
Gujarat Government and
Mr Agarwal for running
the NRG centres well.
He said, “It is indeed a
matter of pride to observe
that 50% of Indian population in UK is Gujaratis. In
both the countries, UK
and USA, Gujaratis have
progressed
well.
The
Gujarat Samachar and
Asian Voice published and
edited by CB Patel have
made a huge difference by
serving Gujarati commu-

boards in the hall. “One
thing is to go and settle
successfully in foreign
land and second and more
important is that with success, we also serve our
own motherland.
Like
Ganpatbhai who has
opened a university in
Gujarat and is contributing a lot for education of
Gujaratis,” says CB.
He said, “Gujaratis are
the largest segment of nonresident Indians (NRIs)
and they’ve established
themselves all over the
world. England has 10 lakh
Gujaratis, of which 8 lakh
are settled ones and others
are overseers. After all,
migration is economic
migration. Surely Gujarati
migrants have made good
progress and contributed a
lot for the progress of their
adopted country. One lakh
twenty thousand are household Gujaratis and around
40,000 are self-employed.
“What sets Indians
apart from others: It is
sense of shame and sense
of gratitude. And maybe
that is why the number of
Gujarati prisoners in UK
is the smallest. On 14th
March 2012, there were
71,000 prisoners in UK of
which 636 were Hindus,
700 Sikh, 450 Jews and
8,600 Muslims, (approx)

branched out considerably. Yes, today you’ll find
physicians,
scientists,
engineers, hoteliers and
other professionals of
Gujarati origin in most
countries. But it’s in business that Gujaratis have
made their mark, and their
economic clout is tremendous. Capital formation is
in our blood,” says CB.
“Gujaratis have always
managed to stay connected to their motherland and
the diaspora has done yeoman service to the state of
Gujarat – helping out in
times of calamities, investing in businesses and projecting the state as an
investment destination.
An inherent spirit of
adventure and entrepreneurship in Gujaratis
takes us places in the
world.” CB showed the
readiness to extend help to
anyone visiting London.
Like he said, “Even we
had dreams and had gone
empty handed…..”
CB Patel, Publisher
and Editor of ‘'Gujarat
Samachar” and “Asian
Voice’', is an iconic figure
in
UK.
These
two
newsweeklies have recently completed 40 years with
great success and are the
largest newsweeklies of
their kind in Europe.

Mr Ganpatbhai also
talked about the Gujarati
influence
on
others.
During this time of mixmarriage, Gujaratis have
always left their influence
on other communities. He
remembered an incident,
“My daughter’s white husband named their new
born as ‘Uma,’ name of
Hindu
goddess
Umyamata. And now they
prefer ‘rotis’ to hamburgers. Anyway Americans
have to depend on
Gujaratis, as in morning
they need to buy a doughnut from Gujarati shop, go
for lunch to Subway run
by Gujarati, then have a
visit of Gujarati doctor in
the evening and at night
sleep at the Motel run by
Gujarati.” Mr Ganpatbhai
said jokingly. “We have
made a lot of difference to
other countries. It is
always we who have to
help our extended white
family to get involved in
our culture, to thrive in
and celebrate our tradition, community and customs. This willingness to
help each other is what
makes Gujaratis thrive
and make it big wherever
they are. And they have
had some phenomenal
success as a community in
all their adopted lands.

By Roger Aitken
It was a smooth flight. I
had arrived at Prague’s
Ruzyne airport. But wait a
minute, a sign that greeted
me as a throng of passengers raced past boutiques
towards passport control
proclaimed ‘Vaclav Havel
Airport’. The facility had
just been rebranded in
honour of the late Havel,
dissident, playwright and
the Czech Republic’s first
President.
“Could I have a stamp
please?” I asked a passport
official. After what seemed
like an eternity a page in
my passport was endorsed
‘PRAHA - RUZYNE’. Job
done and despite European
passport stamps having
largely disappeared under
the Schengen Agreement.
Various architectural
styles confront you en route
during a 25-minute taxi
ride to the city centre, from
grey Russian and yellow
painted dwellings from the
communist era to refined
suburban piles nearer town.
A special characteristic
here is the use of two numbering streets systems concurrently in red and blue,
which was introduced in
1771 during the AustroHungarian empire. Blue
signs are typically three-digits and signify older properties.
Finally we reached our
destination, the 5-star
Hotel Boscolo near the
Old Town. This opulent
former bank also housed a
post office where before
the Velvet Revolution mail
was intercepted. Now a
visit the city’s Museum of
C o m m u n i s m
(www.muzeumkomunismu.cz/) was a must.
A sense of history pervaded as I proceeded to my
room
over seemingly
unending black and white
marble floors. Modern pastel drawings hung along
corridor walls and deft
design touches mixed with
high ornate ceilings. Lunch
soon brought me round.
The waiter poured me a
glass of Czech red wine
before serving the main
course of roast suckling
pig, salad, sautéed potatoes
and local mustard.
Early next morning I
took a swim in Boscolo’s
ambient basement pool,
fuelled up on a hearty
breakfast before embarking
on a walking tour. Just minutes in our Czech guide
Daniela piped up in perfect
English: “This is New
Prague Town established in
1348 by Charles IV.” New?
That might just be borderline semantics as Prague
has three ‘New Towns’
besides the Castle area -

the first dating from 1230.
Prague, the city of a
thousand spires, is a symphony in stone and worthy of a visit. It’s also a
place you can return to
several times as it is virtually impossible to see all
the historical and cultural
sights in one short visit.
Baroque, gothic, renaissance and art nouveau
architectural
styles
abound. The extensive
historic centre is included
in the UNESCO list of
World Heritage sites.
In the Old Town
(Staré Město) and Josefov
area one can see the
Astronomical Clock on
the Old Town Square, the
Church of Our Lady with
its 80m high tower, the
vaulted gothic Old New
Synagogue from 1270 and
the old Jewish cemetery.
In the Lesser Town
(Malá
Strana)
and
Hradčany you will discover
the Prague Castle complex
with St. Vitus Cathedral,
which houses the Czech
Crown Jewels, as well as
Charles Bridge and the
Franz Kafka museum
(www.kafkamuseum.cz).
The Muncipal House, a
100-year old art nouveau
styled building is a major
civic landmark and a must
see. Contained within is
Smetana Hall for classical
concerts and the French
Restaurant. This building
saw the independence of
the country signed.
If you have any spare
time after that then why
not head to the Strahov
Monastery, a Czech abbey
founded in 1149, which
houses stunning library
collections of antique
books (c.50,000) in the
Theological
and
Philosophical
Halls
adorned with magnificent
painted ceiling frescos.
Those wanting some
action could try the Skydive
Arena’s free fall simulator
(www.skydivearena.cz/).
And, an ascent of the
Zizkov TV Tower offers
stunning panoramic views
from a 100m high observation gallery. Attached to the
tower’s pillars are crawling
‘babies’,
designed
by
Prague-born artist David
Černý. For the 2012
Summer Olympics he created ‘London Booster’, a double decker bus with
mechanical arms for pushups.
Why not cap things off
with a descent 30m underground on a tour of
Prague’s
Collectors
(www.kolektory.cz/en/).
Be astonished at the
labyrinth tunnels running
90km along which engineering and mains service
networks are laid.

Winter
special:
amazing hair
care tips
Winter, a season when the
temperatures continue to
drop and the days seem to
get darker and darker…a
season that brings cold,
snow and to a lucky few, a
break from work or
school…a
season
of
whacky flus that you
would never want to strike
at your door...a time to don
all your coats and hats, for
the cold has taken hold!
Awestruck by the
beauty of winters? Don’t
just get lost in the
‘dreamy’ picture, but
devote your attention
towards the downside of
these cold winds too. For,
winter weather can wreak
havoc on your hair and
leave you with a feeling of
cursing this blissful weather. But, you don’t have to
worry for we bring you the
best hair care tips to leave
you with those beautiful
locks that you would love
to run your fingers down
this winter season.
Oil your hair properly:
In winters due to cold
winds, the temperature
outside is cool, but, the
temperature indoors is gen-

Porridge boosts
memory

A bowl of oats will set you
up for a day of better memory retention. The wholegrain they contain floods
you with the B vitamins
you need for information
recall. Studies have also
shown that adding a spoonful of antioxidant-packed
honey will improve spatial
memory, according to studies by the University of
Waikato, New Zealand. For
a timesaving prescription,
Quaker Honey and Nuts
Flavour Oatmeal combine
the goodness of both.

To Our Readers
We are publishing these
items in good faith,
kindly consult your
Doctor before you try to
implement it. We do not
hold any responsibility
for its efficacy...

erally warm, so due to this
change in temperature, it is
very necessary to oil your
hair properly to avoid them
from breakage. Use warm
oil to massage your hair
and scalp for at least one or
two hours to restore the
moisture of your tresses. If
after shampooing your hair,
little bit of oil is left over,
just let it be and don’t
shampoo them again as
this will ruin the conditioning effect of the oil.
Avoid using too much
of shampoo: It is a fact
that due to cold winter
winds, not just your skin,
even your hair and scalp
are left dry. So avoid shampooing your hair much at
least not more than twice a
week. Also, never use very
hot water for washing your
hair in winter as it leaves
your hair tattered and
frizzy. To avoid such a condition, use lukewarm
water to retain the moisture of your hair.
A hair conditioner is a
must: To fight against winters, the best method is to
apply a good conditioner
each time you wash your

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hair. But make sure not to
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and prevents them from
breakage. Another important point is to choose a
conditioner as per your hair
type. Like, if you have dry
hair, choose a conditioner
that will restock your hair
with essential substitutes
needed by them.
Avoid using a hairdryer: Ideally, it is always good
to let your hair dry naturally. If due to some reason,
you are using a hairdryer,
don’t over dry as this will
hamper your hair badly and
leave them frizzy and damaged. Another advice that
will help you maintain
healthy hair is by setting
your hair dryer on the
‘cool’ mode while blow drying as cool air damage your
hair less though it might be
a little time consuming.
Cover you crown: Love
your hair? Then cover your
crown ladies to protect
your hair from those
whacky cold winds. Make
sure to wear a scarf, a hat
or a cap to lock the moisture of your tresses to save
them from breakage. But,
keep in mind that your
scarf or cap should not be
very tight as it hampers
blood flow in the scalp.
So, try these amazing
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will leave you with a beautiful feeling even as the
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29

HEALTH & VITALITY Tablets

Any quest
ions

write to
mam
ta@thin
By Mamta Saha
kspalondon.com
Psychologist

Relationship Etiquette Part 1
his weeks article is all
about
Relationship
T
Etiquette.
Most people

intuitively know the importance their impact can
have on other people. It
would be no exaggeration
to say that people are the
most valuable resources
that we have. Since relationships are so central to
life it is important to know
the etiquette around creating and maintaining strong
relationships.
Firstly, do not judge a
book
by
its
cover.
Psychologists say that perceptions are formed within 7 seconds of meeting
someone. Whist this is
insightful often our initial
perceptions may put us off
from creating rapport with
another person. Be the
bigger person, challenge
your initial judgements
especially if they are negative and look for areas of
common ground.
Secondly, if you have a
tendency to negatively
voice your views about
people’s appearance and
clothes stop in your tracks.

This behaviour will most
definitely damage your
relationships and credibility; trust will be broken and
will take a very long time to
rebuild. Remind yourself
firstly that not everyone is
superficial and when you
point one finger at someone there are 3 pointing
back at you. This pompous
behaviour will not help you
win any brownie points
with anyone.
Thirdly, if you have a
natural tendency to offend
people with the comments
you make, start thinking
before
speaking.
Extraverts have tendency
to talk and then think,
however Introverts think
and then speak. Take a
leaf out of an Introverts
book. Before you speak ask yourself: Why am I
talking? (W.A.I.T). Try to
listen more and be more
curious about others (this
builds
relationships).
Refrain from looking down
your nose at people (judging) and become more
open to the possibility that
everyone has something

unique to offer; you may
learn something new.
Lastly be consistent
with your
behaviour.
When you are consistent
you create trust and credibility. If your behaviour
changes on different occasions this sends out mixed
messages around your
authenticity and reliability
as an individual. If you
change when people are
around ask yourself why
you are doing this and
what is driving your
behaviour. Ask yourself if
it is building or breaking
your relationships.
If you want to raise
your own self-awareness
seek feedback from people
you trust and start to
understand the impact you
have. Ultimately the world
is a very small place and
personal branding has
never been more important
than now. Seek to build
relationships as opposed to
damage them. Don’t forget
to ‘Like’ us on FB, follow us
on Twitter and email us:
mamta@thinkspalondon.
com. Good luck!

5 tips to prevent ‘square eyes’ from too much tech use

5 tips to prevent ‘square
eyes’ from too much tech
use Melbourne: Looking
at a computer, tablet or
smartphone screen for
longer hours may ruin
your eyesight, says experts
who have also suggested
five tips to prevent it.
A recent research by
body+soul and OPSM has
found Nearly 60 per cent
of Australians spend up to
eight hours a day looking
at a screen.
If you spend a lot of
time using a computer,

dim lighting can help minimise eyestrain. To protect
from this experts have suggested to use dimmer
bulbs and to position your
screen so that you do not
have direct window light
in front or behind it.
A study from the
SunyState College of
Optometry in New York
found that smartphone

users hold their devices
closer to their face than
they would hold a book,
forcing the eyes to work
harder.
As a solution to this
problem,
smartphone
users are advised to minimise the strain by using a
font that’s easy to read,
such as Verdana 12-point,
on all devices.

Spending more than
two hours a day on a tablet
may also put pressure on
your neck, shoulders, arms
and hands, so experts have
suggested using a desktop
for longer jobs.
Low contrast text and
backgrounds tire the eyes
while reading dark text on a
light background is easiest.
The bright lights and

sharp movements in video
games force your eyes to
focus and refocus constantly, which causes eyestrain.
Look away for 10 seconds every 10 minutes,
use an anti-glare screen,
blink often and position
your screen below eye
level to avoid this, experts
added.

Chak 89, in Bond Road,
Mitcham faced stiff competition to take home the
award for best restaurant.
Known as one of South
London’s finest Indian
restaurant, Chak 89 is a
hidden gem. Based in
Mitcham, Chak 89 is
respected by all its diners
for its fresh and traditional cuisine and its unique
décor creating the perfect
ambience which gives its
diners the ultimate experience.
The pioneer behind
Chak 89, Mr Frank
Khalid, who wanted to
give the public the authenticity of traditional Indian
cuisine, complimented by
the perfect ambience and
attentive service allowing
people to have a memorable experience. Opened
in 2005, Chak 89 was as a
60 seated restaurant overlooking one of its 400
seated banquet hall, the
other being a 200 seated
banquet hall, Chak 89
quickly became the talk of
the town and in 2006 had
to undergo a major refurbishment to increase the
size of the restaurant to
140 to cater for diners
who flock to the restaurant to acknowledge the
dining
experience.
Handpicked by Mr Frank
Khalid himself, the team
of chefs at Chak 89 specialise in all types of cuisine allowing them to

cater for all types of
palates in the banqueting
halls and serve traditional
Indian Cuisine in the
restaurant.
With its Swarovski
Chandeliers,
cinema
screen with surround system, centralised air conditioning, 5 star decor and
parking facilities, Chak 89
has become one of the
hottest venues in London.
Today, Chak 89 is honoured to have Major
Bollywood
Stars,
Politicians, Music Artists,
Professional sportsman
amongst its list of clients.
Most recently Chak 89
announced working in
partnership with Asda,
where Chak 89 will run
their own delicatessens, in
selected
Asda
stores
across London, retailing
our very own quality and
fresh
Indian
cuisine
directly from the Chak 89
menu, allowing the consumer to indulge in the
ultimate Chak 89 experience. This would also
allow the public to enjoy
restaurant style food in
the comfort of their home
at supermarket prices.
Recently, Chak 89
launched its Mobile App
available on iPhone, making Chak 89 the first
Asian venue to have an
app, giving potential
clients all the information
they require for their special day.

Path to Success
Continued from page 13
On this evening, for
the first time Path to
Success presented their
“Admiration Award”, an
yearly award which is to
Honour an Individual,
who in spite of being vulnerable in any sense of
terms, gives back to the
society, to those who
need help, change their
destiny to a more positive
and successful future.
The award was presented
to Mr Luke Baily,(22
years of age). He is a key
member of the Charity
Trailblazers network of
young campaigners. Luke
has helped to organise
events for Young Disabled
People in the Parliament.
He has played an integral
role in all campaigns, specially the challenges faced
by young disabled people;
inspiring and motivating
them, using air travel to

receive a good service.
As the charity’s 2012
campaign has come to an
end, Path to Success has
already decided for their
next task. To support and
help to raise funds for the
new residential home for
St Wilfrid’s Centre in
Sheffield, a place where
600 homeless, vulnerable
and socially excluded are
welcome all year around.
They have a difficult mission ahead of them to
raise £1.8 million pounds
within the next two years
for the new structure.
For more information
about Path to Success,
v
i
s
i
t
www.pathtosuccess.org.uk
. “Thanks to your understanding that Charity has
time and place in our
Daily Lives, let all you
successful people continue to do good today and
everyday to come.” Path
to Success.

There may be a certain
amount of unfinished business to be dealt with. Therefore you will need to adopt
a fairly flexible policy in order to accommodate the odd
twists and turns of everyday life. There are planetary
energies firing you up preventing you from sleeping
properly. Give yourself plenty of physical outlets to calm
you down mentally.

ARIES Mar 21 - Apr 20

TAURUS Apr 21 - May 21
The flow of good energy this week makes you want to be responsible which
can benefit you socially and personally. Financially, you
have everything going for you. Be prudent and do not
fritter away your good fortune. You should avoid using
credit, simply because your spending habits may be
excessive and impulsive.
Jupiter, the planet of
plenty graces your solar
1st house for some time to come, bringing noticeable
improvements to your environment. This will hold you
in good stead as you have a lot of important jobs to finish around the house such as decorating and for some
buying or selling of properties.

GEMINI May 22 - June 22

CANCER Jun 22 - Jul 22
The fiery planet
Mars, continues to occupy your opposite sign for
some time to come. Its influence will help you to maintain a high energy level and achieve positive results in
anything that requires drive and initiative. If you are
involved in a fairly competitive field of activity, you will
be the one who comes out on top.
LEO Jul 23 - Aug 23
Don't be afraid to act
forcefully if your instinct tells you it's time for change.
This week the focus is your house of family and home.
Besides spending more time tending to domestic affairs,
the focus can be on cultivating and nourishing your
inner foundations, so to speak.
VIRGO Aug 24 - Sep 23

The domestic scene
may prove to be active
and harmonious as long as you use tact and diplomacy.
Intense focus is what is needed now so do not let yourself be distracted by non-essentials. The gentle influence of Venus ensures that most things run smoothly
and that your cash-flow remains viable.

LIBRA Sep 24 - Oct 23
Domestic and home
matters are disturbed and a source of concern to you.
You could find family members hostile and difficult to
reason with. It is a period of handling matters with
utmost diplomacy and calmness. Mercury and Venus in
your 3rd house of communications make it that much
easier to communicative clearly.
SCORPIO Oct 24- Nov 22

This is a good time to
cut back on extravagant spending and consolidate your
finances. Your social calendar is likely to keep you very
busy and you will have lots of opportunities to promote
yourself. For some of you this is also a good time to
meet like-minded people which could lead to romantic
liaisons.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 23 - Dec 21
The focus is on
finances this week, but that doesn’t mean you should
worry yourself sick. Rather, it is about finding new and
improved ways to boost your earnings potential. Don’t
let nebulous tendencies interfere with your plans. It’s
fine to consider several options but don’t get caught up
in indecision. Schedule networking opportunities later
this week.
CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 20
A blast of personal
energy comes your way, and showing your leadership
skills works for you now. Romance and pleasure are
highlighted this week. The flowing, expressive, and
spontaneous energy surrounding you attracts likeminded people. Be sure to take time to enjoy yourself,
preferably around others!
AQUARIUS Jan 21 - Feb 19

The transit of two planets in your Solar 12th House indicates that experience
will put you in a deeply reflective mood. This is a
favourable time for getting away from usual routines
and seeking a retreat for a few days. It will be good for
you to get involved in therapies that help you to get in
closer touch with your inner self.

PISCES Feb 20 - Mar 20

You have everything to
gain by following creative inclinations. If you have new
ideas, now is the time to put them into practice.
Whatever your present interests you are likely to find
that new doors open and the way ahead offers
increased scope for expressing your real self. A great
time to meet and interact with people.

SPorT world

Asian Voice - Saturday 22nd December 2012

Pietersen impresses Flower, set
to be offered a full contract

Kevin Pietersen is set to be
offered a full central contract
by the England and Wales
Cricket Board (ECB) after
team director Andy Flower
was impressed by the righthander's on and off-field
behaviour and contribution
in the historic Test series win
in India.
Pietersen's successful reintegration into England's dressing room will be officially
acknowledged with the award
of his full contract at the end
of ongoing tour of India.
Flower confirmed that the
extension of Pietersen's fourmonth contract is all but a
formality.

"The contract won't be a
problem, Kevin has been
excellent in every way,"
Flower said after England
defeated India 2-1 in the justconcluded four-Test away
series. "We don't always get on
with people all of the time, in
any walk of life, and everyone
has made an effort to make it
work. It's been really good fun
and he should be very proud
of the way he's operated out
here both as an individual and
as a player," the former
Zimbabwe captain added.
Flower knows the value
of Pietersen's 186-run knock
in the second Test in
Mumbai, and said his innings

Time for split captaincy? Sunil
Gavaskar backs Virat Kohli
The last time England won a
Test series in India, present
England skipper Alastair
Cook was barely a month old.
On Monday, Cook proudly
led his team to a historic victory, even as MS Dhoni stoically
contemplated
yet
another debacle.
In a sense, Dhoni can consider himself fortunate to be
leading India in this era. Back
in the 1970s, Ajit Wadekar
won India three Test series in
a row; including two historic
away
triumphs
against
England and West Indies.
But one 0-3 loss against
England in 1974 and he was
gone. From Bishen Singh
Bedi to Kapil Dev to Sunil
Gavaskar, nobody has been
given a longer rope as Indian
skipper than Dhoni.
Dhoni has led India to 04 drubbings in Australia and
England - and survived.
Hard-won victories against
lowly ranked teams like New
Zealand and West Indies
were allowed to lull India
into a sense of complacency,
even though the alarm bells
should have been clanging.
The chickens finally came
home to roost against
England. It is possible that a
weakened, transitional team
would have lost anyway. But
Dhoni's unimaginative field

placements, whimsical team
choices, ignoring of certain
players - Rahane has been
warming the benches for over
a year now - and needless
clashes with curators certainly didn't help.
If anything, his lack of
effective leadership probably
cost India the series.
Has the time come for a
split captaincy? There's a
growing chorus asking for
Dhoni's replacement as Test
captain - and some of the
voices are well respected.
As a selector several
months
ago,
Mohinder
Amarnath had asked for a
change in Test leadership,
something that cost him
dearly. But even legends like
Sunil Gavaskar and former
chairman
of
selectors
Krishnamachari Srikkanth
have said that Dhoni needs to
go. So has another former
great, Abbas Ali Baig.

played a big role in England's
turnaround in the series after
the crushing defeat in the
first Test in Ahmedabad.
"In that Test (Mumbai) he
showed real skill in Indian
conditions on a pitch that

turned on the first day,"
Flower was quoted as saying.
"For him to score as
quickly as he did there and
put such pressure on the
opposition bowlers really
helped us turn the series
around," Flower said. "He
also scored a 73 and a 54 in
the series, important innings,
and he's been excellent in the
field and in the dressing
room," he added.
Pietersen was on a fourmonth trial after being welcomed back into the team following his banishment last
summer for sending provocative texts about team-mates
to South African players.

Tendulkar slips to 22nd
spot in ICC Test rankings
Sachin Tendulkar on Tuesday
slipped out of the list of top20 Test batsmen after his
awful run in the just-concluded four-match series against
England while Australia skipper Michael Clarke regained
the numero uno position.
Tendulkar, who dropped
three places to 22nd, managed to aggregate a mere 112
runs with a lone half-century
in the Kolkata Test.
The other notable Indian
batsmen
like
Virender
Sehwag and Cheteshwar
Pujara also slipped in the
rankings, dropping a notch to
25th and 26th respectively.
Virat Kohli gained four
places to be ranked 37th
while skipper Mahendra
Singh Dhoni remained static
at 38th.
In bowling, Pragyan Ojha
lost four places to be ranked
ninth while R Ashwin made it
to the 20th position after
gaining two sports. Out of
form seamer Zaheer Khan
was static at 15th while
Ishant Sharma’s improved
show in the Nagpur Test
helped him gain a place to
32nd.
Clarke, who entered the
Hobart Test trailing numberone
ranked
Shivnarine
Chanderpaul by just one ratings point, now leads the

that Gautam Gambhir fetched
at an IPL auction, but never
before has such money been
offered in hockey for a mere
four-week stint.
Even the most lucrative
European leagues only offer
about
$25-30,000
(`1,300,000-1,600,000) for a
six-seven month stint. In
HIL, players will probably
take home about twice that
amount in less than a month.
There were plenty of similari-

ties between HIL and Indian
Premier League player auctions. There were the familiar
‘marquee’ players on offer
and there was a salary cap `35 million - imposed on
owners. Indian hockey stars
were in demand with teams
needing 14 domestic players
compared to 10 foreign players in each side.
Dutch stalwart Teun De
Nooijer became the league’s
most expensive player, taking
home `4,761,000. Initially,
UP had bought De Nooijer
for `3,596,000 but as he is a
marquee player, he is supposed to receive 15% more
than the highest-drawing
player in the team, in this
case Raghunath.
“I am really excited to be
here for the auction. I didn’t
know what to expect as this
is the first time that hockey

Action at a Glance
Finally, Nayan Mongia gets
`10 mn from BCCI

Ex-India cricketer Nayan Mongia finally got
his due from Board of Control for Cricket in
India for his services to cricket. Mongia was
handed over a cheque of `10 million by
BCCI towards its one-time settlement
scheme announced earlier this year. The
BCCI had announced this scheme to extend
financial help to former senior cricketers

who had played both domestic and international games and retired before 2004. BCA
secretary Sanjay Patel recently handed him
the cheque. Several former international
cricketers from Baroda like D K Gaekwad,
Anshuman Gaekwad and Narayan Satham
were handed over the cheques in the first
phase. There was uncertainty over paying
money to Mongia due to technical issues.
"The BCCI had earlier announced that
the scheme would be applicable for cricketers who had retired before September
2004. I played my last first-class game in
December 2005 for Baroda and then
retired," Mongia said. "Later, the BCCI
extended the deadline to December 2004
and I was included in the list of beneficiaries.

Indian women defend kabaddi
title

West Indian by nine points.
Clarke’s knocks of 74 and 57
in the Hobart Test against Sri
Lanka that was won by
Australia by 137 runs, played
a part in helping him race to
the top.
England’s
captain
Alastair Cook, who was the
other contender for the top
spot, remained in fourth position after losing 38 ratings
points following his double
failure in the Nagpur Test
which ended in a draw. He
now trails Clarke by 52 ratings points.
The bowlers table is still
headed by South Africa’s
Dale Steyn while Sri Lanka’s
spinner Rangana Herath
dropped two places to fourth.
Also moving up is
England’s paceman James
Anderson in sixth (up by
one).

IPL-style auction brings big money to hockey
The yet-to-start Hockey India
League became the sport’s
most lucrative tournament in
the world last week, when its
five franchise owners liberally opened their purses at an
IPL-style auction, the first
ever such event in hockey.
Indian captain Sardar
Singh was the most sought
after player and went to the
Delhi
Waveriders
for
`4,250,000, a big jump from
his base price of about
`1,500,000.
The biggest surprise of
the day was drag-flicker V R
Raghunath’s winning bid of
`4,140,000 by Sahara UP
Wizards, way up from his
base price of `760,000.
The inaugural HIL will run
from January 16 to February
10 next year. The money may
seem like small change compared to the Rs 110 million

31

players are being auctioned.
The league itself will be very
good for young Indian hockey players and hope it’s the
turning point for the sport,”
De Nooijer, one of three HIL
brand ambassadors, said.
The other two brand
ambassadors, Sardar and
Jamie Dwyer of Australia,
were also top draws. Dwyer
was bagged by Jaypee Punjab
Warriors for `3,269,000 but
will take home `4,260,000
because of his marquee player status.
“It feels good to be appreciated for your performances.
I was a little late in arriving
so couldn’t keep track of the
proceedings but was delighted by my eventual price. I am
sure the other boys in the
team are keeping a close eye
on the proceedings at the
auction,” Sardar said.

Indian women were in top form as they easily defended their crown thrashing Malaysia
72-12 points in the final of the Kabaddi
World Cup at the Guru Nanak stadium in
Ludhiana last week. The final match was
divided into two halves, each half comprising of two quarters of 15 minutes each.
The Indian team started with a bang and
raced on to a 22-3 lead in the first quarter,
mostly on the back of some brilliant raids by
Priyanka Devi and Priyanka Pilaniya. They
kept the pressure going and were 42-6
ahead by the interval. Stopper Anu Rani put
in a stellar show along with raider
Sukhwinder Kaur as India took complete
control of the match. The second half the
Indian team dominated once again as they
scored 16 points compared to Malaysia’s 4
and by the end of the third quarter India
were leading by 58-8. Stoppers Jatinder
Kaur and Mandeep Kaur impressed in this
quarter. The fourth quarter was a stroll in the
park for the Indian team as they scored 14
more points and took their second half tally
to 30 points. The Malaysian women could
score just 4 points in this quarter and an
overall 6 points in the second half.
Priyanka Devi scored 13 points for the
team while Priyanka Pilaniya and
Sukhwinder Kaur got 8 points each.
Stoppers Jatinder Kaur and Anu Rani
bagged 11 and 8 points respectively. For
Malaysia, raider Manpreet Kaur scored 4
points and stopper Rekha got 2 points.

India thrash Pakistan to win
World T20 for blind

A
defiant
India
beat
Pakistan by
30 runs in a
thrilling final
of T20 World
Cup for the
sightless at
the Central College ground in Bangalore last
week. Batting first on a warm day, India
scored 258 runs for eight wickets in the stipulated 20 overs and restricted Pakistan to
228 runs for eight wickets in their 20 overs to
lift the World Cup. For India, Ketan Bhai
Patel hit a hurricane 98, while Prakash
Jayaramaiah contributed 42 and vice-captain Ajay Kumar Reddy 25, while for
Pakistan Mohammed Jameel posted a
breezy 47, Ali Murthaza 38 and Mohammed
Akram 32.

32

England scripted their first
series win in India since
1984-85 after the fourth
and final cricket Test
ended in a dull draw at the
VCA Stadium in Nagpur
on Monday.
England, starting the
day at 161 for three, batted
India out of the game by
going on to make 352 for
four in their second
innings when the play was
called off an hour after tea
on the final day.
The stars for England
were Jonathan Trott (143)
and Ian Bell (116 not out),
who took the game away
from the hosts by forging a
208-run stand from a precarious 94 for three on day
four. England had made
330 in their first innings
and India responded with
326 for nine.
The
draw
meant
England got their hands
on the Anthony De Mello
Trophy as they won the
four-match series 2-1. It
was a remarkable comeback for the visitors, who
bounced back after a
heavy loss in the first Test
at Ahmedabad.
The Indian bowling,

Asian Voice - Saturday 22nd December 2012

first series loss at home
since 2004, when they lost
1-2 to Australia.

Anderson, Trott rested
for ODIs

that looked inferior to
England's attack throughout the series, failed to
come up with something
special on a slow wicket,
responsible for producing
a drab affair.
The match ended with
Gautam Gambhir rolling
his arm over for the first
time in Tests, demonstrating that the India ran out
of options. While Trott
completed his eighth Test
hundred before lunch, Bell

got his first big score of the
series minutes before the
end of the game. For Bell it
was his 17th Test century
that took his team home
safely.
If the pitch did no good
to India's cause, their sloppy fielding let them further
down.
Sehwag was once
again caught napping at
first slip, dropping Bell off
Piyush Chawla. His late
reaction to Bell's cut short

led to the slip-up. Sehwag
had also dropped Kevin
Pietersen on the penultimate day of the game.
England
skipper
Alastair Cook led from the
front and was deservingly
picked as the man of the
series. The southpaw
amassed 562 runs at an a
average of 80.28 to be
series' highest run-getter,
smashing three hundreds
in the process.
For India, it was their

England have rested fast
bowler James Anderson
and batsman Jonathan
Trott from the next
month’s One-Day series
against India and replaced
them with Chris Woakes
and Jos Buttler. The visitors have also included
young batsman Joe Root in
the Twenty20 squad for
the upcoming two-matches series.
“Woakes and Buttler
get their chance as two of
the stars of the tourists’
Test series victory are
given a rest,” the ECB said
in a statement. After the
two T20 games the
England team will return
to their homeland for the
Christmas break and then
return to India in the new
year for five ODIs, starting
January 11.
Anderson had originally been selected only to
play the first three matches of the five-ODI series.
Woakes, who is currently